Evangelion:  A New Awakening
by Stormofdragons
Summary: ShinjixAsuka. Season 1 finished; Third Impact and Human Instrumentality have left the world changed.  Shinji and Asuka awake on the beach and try to find some semblance of a normal life.  New enemies, new battles, and the return of the EVA's.
1. Episode 2:01

Disclaimer: Neon Genesis Evangelion is Owned by Gainax. Buy the DVD's of the Series and the Movies from them. I did, and it was worth every dime. I don't own anything except my DVD's, and this is done for my own satisfaction.  
  
Episode 2:01 Survival of the first  
  
Takes place after 1st season, and the End of Evangelion Movie.  
  
Presumed Date is January 1st, 2016  
  
Shinji awoke to the sound of waves lapping the beach upon which he was laying.  
  
'Now why am I sleeping on a beach?' he thought to himself. 'Oh, yeah, now I remember, I came back from Third Impact.'  
  
Reaching up and brushing the sleep from his eyes, his vision cleared, but it took him a moment to realize that. At first he thought he was suffering from a kind of blindness, because all he could see was red. Then he noticed movement in the red before him, as long unruly wisps of red hair were caught in the warm breeze blowing off the sea of LCL.  
  
'Oh great, it's her,' he thought, rolling his eyes, 'why'd she have to come back anyway. Of all the people to wake up next to on the beach it had to be her.'  
  
He sat up, looking down at Asuka's still sleeping form. He'd tried to kill her, was it yesterday, today. Whatever, it had been just before he'd fallen asleep, fully exhausted by his re-emergence from the sea of LCL.  
  
'Looking at her like this, you'd almost think she was human,' he thought.  
  
Asuka stretched and began to shift, finally rolling over and opening her eyes.  
  
'Ah. The demon awakens,' he thought, sarcastically.  
  
"Morning Asuka, are you alright?" he asked, timidly  
  
"Not like it's any concern of your's Third-Child," she snapped, sleepily.  
  
"Well I was just wondering. That is, I mean to say, you're wearing that eye patch and the sling, and well..." he drifted off.  
  
"Huh?" she said, reaching up with her right arm to touch her left eye and left arm, both of which were swathed in bandages. "How the hell did I get bandages on me?" Sitting up she wrenched the bandages off, and examined her face and arm with her fingers.  
  
"If you don't mind me saying so, Asuka, everything looks alright. I mean, your eye is a little puffy, but I don't think it's anything serious though," Shinji offered.  
  
"Oh, like you'd know anything. I know you haven't had any more medical training than the standard first aid course you're required to take, while I've been to college, and have studied advanced life saving techniques," she smirked.  
  
"And what does your advanced training tell you about your condition," Shinji asked with a sigh.  
  
"What I already knew. That I'm the strongest person you'll ever meet, and nothing can hurt me," she said, tossing her hair with a contemptuous flip.  
  
'Here we go again. Asuka the Great has declared herself completely wonderful. I wish someone would tell me why I find myself wanting to kill her at the same time I want to take her into my arms and hold her,' he thought.  
  
"Well Baka, are you just going to sit there and stare, or are you going to help me find some food," she said looking down on him. He hadn't even noticed that she'd stood up.  
  
"Um, right, Asuka, we should see if we can find something to eat, there's got to be a store or a house or something around here somewhere. Wherever here is," he said, encouragingly.  
  
Shinji stood up, and looked up and down the beach. There was nothing to be seen except the sea and the sand.  
  
"Follow me Third Child," she said, and flounced inland, away from the sea. After about two hundred yards they topped out on a set of sand dunes and looked down upon a large paved parking lot.  
  
"That's a good sign," Shinji said. "All we have to do is follow this road until it leads to a store or house where we can find some food."  
  
"Obviously," Asuka said, rolling her eyes.  
  
Asuka jogged down the dune, and stepped lightly onto the blacktop, following the road away from the beach. Shinji followed.  
  
"Hey Asuka, do you think there's anyone else back yet?" Shinji asked.  
  
"No, we're the first, I'm sure of it," she said, not bothering to look back at the boy.  
  
"And why are you so sure?"  
  
"Because Baka, my Mother told me we would be the first. We won't have to wait long though," she said.  
  
"So... you... saw your mother... too," he said timidly.  
  
"Of course. She told me I had to come back," said Asuka.  
  
'She also told me that if it weren't for you those old men at SEELE would have had their way, and we'd be stuck in Lilith's black egg for all eternity. But there's no way I'm going to thank you for that,' she thought to herself, a smirk crossing her face.  
  
After what seemed hours of walking the two children came to a restaurant at the intersection of their road and a large four-lane highway. There were several cars parked in front of the place, and several piles of damp clothing marked the site of their owners 'ascension.' Asuka walked up to the big glass doors and peered inside.  
  
"Looks like the powers off," she said.  
  
"Well that's lucky," said Shinji.  
  
"BAKA! Why do you think that's LUCKY? If there IS any food in there it's likely to have spoiled, with no power to the refrigerators."  
  
"Hey, I can't be sure of anything, but I don't think we were gone that long, so most of the food's probably still okay. And if the power's off then we won't get electrocuted trying to figure out how to turn stuff off. Think about it for a minute Asuka. All over the world people vanished in the middle of things. Talking on phones, drying their hair, or cooking. If all the stoves were still running, the whole place would probably burn down before we could do anything about it," Shinji explained.  
  
"Oh? And what about Gas stoves you idiot, surely some of them were left running? And how are we supposed to cook anything for ourselves? Answer me THAT!" she challenged.  
  
"Well, I'd think that whatever shut off the power, probably also blew out the fires and things. I can't be sure, so we might want to be careful. I mean, it would really suck to survive the end of the world and get blown up by a gas explosion when we walk into a kitchen."  
  
Asuka glared at him for a moment, and then turned her back on him. "Hmmph," she flounced, crossing her arms over her chest.  
  
"Anyhow, lets go check for something to eat. I'm starved," he said. Taking the lead, he stepped up and pushed on the glass doors. As they opened to admit him, Asuka was still standing her ground.  
  
"Coming?"  
  
"No, I'm going to wait and see if you get blown up," she said.  
  
"Whatever," he said, turning his back.  
  
Shinji walked into the restaurant, and looked around. Despite there being no power, the light coming through the windows was enough for him to see by. There were several empty sets of cloths in here as well, and what looked like the remains of several meals. Shinji checked the plates, and noticed from the corner of his eye that Asuka was still standing outside watching him carefully.  
  
'Well the foods not fresh, but it doesn't look moldy, so it's probably only a day or two old,' he thought. He turned around and looked for the entrance to the kitchen. Spying it made his way into it. Here he found four more sets of cloths; a waitress uniform, and three chef's smocks. The kitchen was very large and appeared to have a large walk in freezer as well as a large walk in refrigerator. Shinji braced himself, and opened the door to the refrigerator, hoping it didn't smell too bad.  
  
Surprisingly the large room was still relatively cold. Not as cold as normal, he was sure, but the food here was still fresh. Smiling, he shut the door, and opened the freezer. Ice still clung to many of the items within, and a large metal box in the corner was filled with ice cubes.  
  
"Alright," he exclaimed.  
  
Turning around, he examined the layout of the kitchen, noticing that burners on the stoves all appeared to be gas. He walked over to the first one, and gingerly pressed and twisted the knob. A soft hiss rewarded his effort, and Shinji looked around to see if there was a match or igniter of some kind. There wasn't, but that didn't mean he couldn't get the stove lit. Looking down at the piles of cloths, he saw that there was a pack of cigarettes in one of the cooks pockets, so he started his search there.  
  
Sure enough, there was a small box of matches located next to the pack of cigarettes, and Shinji extracted these, and lit one, carefully waving it near the burner, and turning on the gas. A soft thump and a louder hiss, accompanied by spreading warmth, and soft glow heralded the lighting of the stove. Pleased, Shinji looked around, as he turned down the stove to a soft, barely noticeable flame.  
  
"Better clean this up a little first," he said to himself. He gathered the Woks on the other burners, and placed them all in the large sink at the back of the kitchen. He turned on the water, and was rewarded by a soft gurgle and then a small deluge, as it began to fill the sink. This accomplished, he shut off the water, letting the dishes soak, and looked around. Picking up the cloths of the cooks, he tossed them into a pile in the corner, keeping one of the aprons for himself, and put it on, before heading into the large refrigerator.  
  
Gathering some beef, and a few vegetables he headed out to the kitchen, and quickly chopped up his ingredients. He started another one of the burners, and, on the first he placed a pot, which he quickly filled with water and rice, which he found in a huge bin in the back. After it began to boil he reduced the heat, and set a small wind up timer to tell him when it was done. He then placed a clean wok from the rack on the other burner and grabbed his utensils. Tossing the ingredients he'd gathered into the wok over the next several minutes, he added a number of sauces and seasonings he found sitting within easy reach.  
  
The smells rising out of the wok were teasing his nose, and Shinji turned off the burner, just as the timer for the rice went off. He took the rice of its burner and shut it off as well.  
  
Looking around, he found two plates, chopsticks, and a large teapot.  
  
'Tea sounds great, right now,' he thought to himself. Smiling, he relit the burner, and set the teapot on it, scooping leaves from another container into a strainer, and waiting for the water to boil. Within a few minutes the water was ready, and Shinji plunged in his tealeaves, and let them steep.  
  
'Now to get Asuka,' he said, and moved back out to the front of the Restaurant. Asuka was there already, cleaning up the remains of the clothing scattered around the room.  
  
"Asuka, Lunch is ready," he announced softly.  
  
Asuka jumped at his words, plainly she had not heard him leave the kitchen and was surprised.  
  
"Mein Gott Im Himmel!" she exclaimed, "Don't you ever sneak up on me like that again Third Child."  
  
"Shinji."  
  
"What?" she asked.  
  
"My name is Shinji. And I would appreciate it if you would use that name when you address me. There are no more EVA's, no more NERV, and, at least at present, no more PEOPLE on the entire planet. The least you can do is provide me the common courtesy of using my name," he said, staring at her.  
  
'Whoa! That's not the old Spineless Shinji I know,' she thought, surprised.  
  
"Okay Shinji, sure thing," she said.  
  
'Wow!' thought Shinji, 'that was easier than I thought it would be. Cool.'  
  
"Pick a seat, and I'll bring the food out, okay?" he said.  
  
"Great," Asuka said, turning her back on him, and picking a seat that afforded her a good view of the highway intersection.  
  
Shinji, meanwhile, was doing his impersonation of a professional waiter, and had loaded up dishes and bowls on both arms, and had placed a tea service on a platter, with the chopsticks, and was now backing though the kitchen door carrying everything to the table.  
  
Asuka was impressed, not that she would ever admit it, that he managed to deliver all the food to the table without dropping or spilling anything. Setting everything in it's proper place, Shinji served Asuka her tea, and seated himself opposite her.  
  
"Dig in," he said, grabbing a large spoon full of rice.  
  
For the next twenty minutes the two children ate ravenously, barely speaking a word, only pausing to sip at their tea, and swallow. Finally sated, Asuka leaned back in her chair, and patted her stomach.  
  
"I couldn't eat another bite," she said.  
  
"Me neither," said Shinji, but then exclaimed, "Oh, I forgot," and jumped up to rush into the kitchen. Moments later he returned with two small plastic wrapped treats.  
  
"Fortune Cookies?" Asuka asked. "I thought the Japanese didn't like these things?"  
  
"Well, they're not really Asian cuisine, but most restaurants have them these days. We seem to have absorbed them into our culture."  
  
Shinji broke his open, eating the sweet dough quickly and read his fortune to himself, 'True love is a path not a destination.' He swallowed the dough and looked up at Asuka, blushing, and hoping she wouldn't notice. She didn't.  
  
Asuka, meanwhile, was pondering the meaning of her cookies message. 'False pride is the bane of true happiness.'  
  
She just looked at it, not noticing Shinji's fading blush, and then crumbled the paper up, throwing it on the table.  
  
"Okay Shinji, lets get some food for later, and get one of these cars running. You can drive can't you?" She said.  
  
"Asuka, I'm not even fifteen years old, I don't have my license yet."  
  
"As you pointed out, we're probably the only two people on the whole planet, so I don't think we're going to have to worry about a cop pulling us over," she said.  
  
"Yeah, but I still don't know how to drive."  
  
"Sheisse," Asuka swore.  
  
"But I could ride that motorcycle," he said, pointing.  
  
Asuka followed his motion, and saw a powerful looking street bike parked at the end of the restaurant. Its black and gold lines seemed to flow as an ocean wave, its streamlined shape screaming speed.  
  
"Besides, those things get way better mileage. We're going to have to do a lot of riding, I'd bet, so we'll need to conserve what fuel we have," Shinji said.  
  
"Okay, Shinji, lets see how well you can ride," she said, getting up, and heading outside.  
  
Shinji followed her out a few minutes later, after he'd cleaned up their dishes, and ducked back into the kitchen for a few quick snacks to take with them.  
  
Asuka was sitting on the hood of the car next to the bike, and tossed him a black and gold helmet as he walked up. He looked around, and noticed two more piles of clothing, One set of Black and another Set of Gold leather riding gear.  
  
"Better put on the leather jackets and pants too," he said, "if we do go down, I'd hate to get a nasty road rash." He bent over and picked up the first jacket and pants, and slid into them. There were a pair of boots there as well, but they looked too big for him. 'Better to have them than nothing else,' he thought, 'besides I can always trade them in at the first shoe store we come to.'  
  
He finished dressing in the riding gear, and pulled the helmet on, noticing that there was a small mouthpiece in the front of the helmet. He tightened the helmet up, and flipped a switch he found on the chinstrap. He then turned to face Asuka.  
  
The site that met his eyes caused a slight nosebleed, and he began to sweat. Asuka had always looked great in her plugsuit, but this was incredible. The Golden Leather gear she was wearing showed off all of her curves. Especially her cleavage, since the jacket was obviously made for either a small man, or flat chested woman. Her breasts were squeezed together and she was unable to zip the jacket up any farther because of them.  
  
He noticed that she was looking him up and down, and then heard a muffled, "Ready?"  
  
Shinji nodded, and reached over to flip the switch on Asuka's helmet.  
  
"Can you hear me?" he asked.  
  
"Whoa," she said over the helmets built in two-way radio, "how'd you do that?"  
  
"Built in radio, I noticed it when I put on the helmet."  
  
"Cool."  
  
"Alright, lets go," he said, climbing into the reclined drivers seat, and steadying the powerful bike. Asuka climbed in behind him, and sat down. Shinji sat still for several moments, and Asuka asked, 'Well?"  
  
"No keys."  
  
"Jeez, do I have to think of everything. Check your pockets."  
  
"Oh, yeah," said Shinji, slightly embarrassed. Sure enough the right front pocket contained the keys to the bike, and Shinji withdrew them, inserted them into the ignition, and started the bike. The soft purr that came from the bike belied the feeling of power that Shinji felt in the bikes control yoke. Several small LCD screens lit up in front of him, showing digital gauges and readouts for the bikes functions. On top of the screens a red label lit up with a series of Kanji symbols, and Shinji looked at. It read, "Kawasaki Kiken Jingutsu 3700."  
  
"Kiken Jingutsu?" Shinji said quietly.  
  
"What was that?" Asuka asked.  
  
"This bike, I've never heard of it before. It's called a Kiken Jinjutsu, or Dangerous Individual," he said.  
  
"Well, whatever it is, let's get this thing going."  
  
"Right," he said, examining the screens before him. It took a moment, but he found a small icon on the central touch sensitive screen that said "kickstand" and pressed it. The kickstand of the bike raised, and Shinji's legs absorbed the weight of the bike, as it rocked back and forth under him.  
  
'Hmm... feels pretty light. Probably made from Carbon fiber and aluminum. Maybe even titanium,' he thought. 'Still, if I crash this thing, we aren't going to be any better off.'  
  
"Well, are we going?" Asuka asked.  
  
"Yeah, right, just one question. Which way do we go?"  
  
"Go west young man," Asuka said in a deep voice, and then laughed. Shinji looked up slightly, gauged the suns movement since their arrival at the diner, and headed out onto the highway, turning to the right and accelerating.  
  
Asuka was suddenly pressed back into the seat, and let out a squeal of delighted terror. Where, in the name of all that was Holy, did Shinji learn to drive a motorcycle? He was gunning the bikes accelerator, and shifting up through the gears on the long straight road. Soon the acceleration eased off, and she was able to lean forward. She couldn't quite make out the controls, and leaned forward, into Shinji, pressing herself against him, and looking over his right shoulder.  
  
The tachometer was nearing the orange at 3700 rpm's and their speed was an astonishing 244 kilometers per hour.  
  
"Um, Shinji, not that I'm complaining, but do you really think we should be going this fast?"  
  
"What's wrong Asuka, don't like the speed?" Shinji asked.  
  
"No, just wondering what's going to be left of us after we hit a car parked in the middle of the road."  
  
"Oh, yeah, right," Shinji said, and chopped their speed to a more respectable 100 kph. "Sorry about that," he said, "I've just never been on a bike with this much power before. Isn't it great?"  
  
"Yeah, great," she said, noticing how firm his lithe body was under the leather jacket. She leaned wrapped her arms around him, telling herself that it was just to make her more secure.  
  
Shinji noticed the arms wrapping around his chest, and decided he liked their soft pressure. Another nosebleed began as he imagined Asuka's breasts pressed up against his back, constricted by the tight leather. Gulping down his heart, and giving his head a slight shake he concentrated on the large sign they were approaching. There were several cities listed and the relative distance from the sign to each, but the one that caught Shinji's attention was the one that said "Nagoya-2 45km."  
  
"Alright. We're not too far from Nagoya-2," he said.  
  
"What's so great about that?" Asuka asked.  
  
"Well Ritsuko mentioned that there was a NERV Emergency Command Facility there. There was also some information about it in those papers that we had to read through before the mission where we tried to capture the 8th angel. Surely you remember THAT?"  
  
'How could I forget? That's the mission where I almost died in that volcano, and you saved me, at the cost of considerable damage to your EVA. It's where I first began to feel like we might...' Asuka let that thought trail off.  
  
"Of course I remember that mission," she snapped, "but I had more on my mind than reading some mindless paperwork about NERV, I was too busy learning how to defeat the enemy."  
  
"Oh, well anyway, some of the equipment for that operation was scrambled out of the NERV reserve base at Nagoya-2. I'd beet that there's a ton of stuff that we could use. Survival gear and the like," he continued.  
  
"And power?" she asked.  
  
"Probably. Ritsuko mentioned something about a Geothermal plant that tapped deep into the core there to supply power to the base, so it wasn't dependant upon nuclear or other outside sources."  
  
"Then what are you waiting for, lets haul ass."  
  
"Yes Ma'am," Shinji said, pouring power to the bike once more, and reveling in the feeling of Asuka's arms gripping his chest for dear life.  
  
Fifteen minutes later, Shinji directed the bike off an innocuous looking ramp and onto a side road. He slowed as they approached a deserted guard post, and swerved around the barricade. Driving onto the base, he passed several deserted vehicles, and was beginning to wonder what exactly he was looking for when Asuka pointed and shouted in his ear, "There."  
  
He followed her directions, and soon found himself at the entrance to a monorail transport train, similar to those used in the NERV Geofront. He parked the bike, dropped the kickstand, and waited until Asuka had climbed off before he stood up. He motioned Asuka to follow his lead and took off his helmet. Asuka did the same and her beautiful red locks flowed out behind her as she shook her head.  
  
"Well, now what?" she asked. "I don't see any indications of power on this thing."  
  
"We'll have to go down manually. This is going to take some time, so I guess it's a good thing we brought some food."  
  
Gathering their supplies, the two teenagers set out to explore the facility before them. After a few minutes they found that the emergency power was activated, and the doors were sealed tight shut. Shinji typed in his NERV id number and security pass code, and the first door opened. He turned to smile at Asuka.  
  
"Baka," she said, and Shinji's smile dropped.  
  
"Fine Asuka, lets just get inside," he said dully.  
  
It took them the better part of four hours to find the Central Operations and Command Center for the facility, which Shinji thought was a great stroke of luck. Actually, it was more because of the fact that the facility here was nowhere near as big as the NERV command center in the Geofront, which, after all, had been built inside the egg of Lilith, which was now in Orbit as a new black moon.  
  
"Well, Shinji, now what?" she asked, hands on her hips, almost challenging him with her stance.  
  
"Now we start trying to help ourselves," he said.  
  
Next on Episode 2:02 of Neon Genesis Evangelion The Children manage to make life seem a little more normal as their exploration of the NERV base leads to some wonderful surprises. Shinji and Asuka spend a day exploring the surface of the surrounding area, and discover some things about each other that may surprise them both.  
  
It's Evangelion Episode 2:02 Playing House 


	2. Episode 2:02

Disclaimer: Neon Genesis Evangelion is Owned by Gainax. Buy the DVD's of the Series and the Movies from them. I did, and it was worth every dime. I don't own anything except my DVD's, and this is done for my own satisfaction.  
  
Episode 2:02 Playing house  
  
Takes place after 1st season, and the End of Evangelion Movie.  
  
Presumed Date is January 8th, 2016  
  
"Okay, what does it say to do now?" Shinji asked, as Asuka stood next to him with a large manual and a flashlight, reading the instructions.  
  
"Following the initialization and priming of the pumps, you should activate the flow control system, to keep from flooding the system with too much water. This is important, due to the fact that an excess of water will cause a delay in the steam being generated in sufficient force to turn the turbines, and instead can cause a dangerous pressure spike that can destroy the water return system," She read.  
  
Shinji nodded. "Okay, flow control system ... activated," he said, throwing several small breakers.  
  
"Convection may not be enough to start the system, in the event the system has been down for more than 24 hours. Activate the pumps, being sure to not exceed 25 psi on the intake. When the pressure on the return line reads exceeds 75 psi, turn the pumps down and close the manual intakes. Wait until pressure exceeds 500 psi and prime the Turbines. When Turbine RPM's reach 2200, open transfer tubes. Turbines will now being normal operation. Breaker 1:3 will trip, disabling manual controls, and normal computer operation will take over. In the event this does not happen, return to step 274 and repeat all," Asuka looked up as Shinji began activating the pumps. His hand flew over the controls, and he started watching the gauges carefully, waiting for the system to respond the way it should.  
  
"Thank god that they had a set of instructions here in German and English. If I'd had to read the Kanji we'd have blown this whole place up. Say there's an idea. If we're the only two people on the planet we can do whatever we want right?"  
  
"Mmm yeah, I guess," Shinji said, priming the turbines, watching this new set of gauges spool up.  
  
"Well I think that you should learn German so we can make that the official language of the Human race. Doesn't that sound like a good idea?" she said pleasantly.  
  
Shinji watched as the Turbines hit speed, and opened the transfer tubes. Almost immediately there was a loud click and a bank of lights over a large switch labeled "Breaker 1:3" went green. There was a loud beep and several computers in the room began to boot up. The fluorescent lights overhead began to flicker, and came on after a moment, burning strongly.  
  
"WE DID IT!" they shouted together.  
  
"Finally, I can take a REAL hot shower," Asuka sighed.  
  
"And I can make something for us to eat that isn't cold or cooked over a fire," Shinji added.  
  
"Now, what were you saying about me learning German, Asuka?" he asked.  
  
"Yeah, you should learn, that way we can stop speaking Japanese, and read and write in a language that isn't so hard. I mean really, there are over 1000 Kanji Shinji, there's lots fewer letters in a normal Alphabet, like German uses."  
  
"Hmm. True, but I don't know if I want to learn German, after all we can both speak Japanese, so I'd rather just keep doing that."  
  
"All right. But no more Kanji, I can't stand that. If you're gonna write anything, it should be in Romanji," she insisted.  
  
"All right Asuka, I'll only write in Romanji. Just for you. Not that I think I'm really going to be writing anything."  
  
Asuka smiled, glad of at least that small victory. As a genius, she found it somewhat humiliating that she still had problems with reading Japanese Kanji.  
  
"So, everything looks stable, now what should we do?" Shinji asked.  
  
"First, I think we should follow your suggestion and have a nice hot meal," Asuka said, putting her hands on her hips. "Do you remember how to get to the Cafeteria and Kitchen from here?"  
  
"I think I do. If not we can always go back to the Command Center, and I can get us there from here," Shinji nodded slowly, gaining confidence as he spoke.  
  
"Alright, Shinji, lead the way," she motioned, and, somewhat uncomfortable, Shinji took the lead.  
  
It took them the better part of half an hour to locate the Cafeteria. It wasn't as large as the one at their old NERV base, but it was very serviceable. And the food in the freezer was still frozen, which was a surprise. The refrigerator... Shinji didn't like to think about that. There were also plenty of canned goods, and dry staples. Beans, Rice, Flour, Sugar, and many other kids of things were all in good supply. The base didn't have gas stoves, instead it was all run by electricity. Because of this, they'd been forced to do their cooking using the emergency stoves they'd found and campfires on the surface.  
  
Shinji had tried to make their last few days worth of meals as tasty and interesting as possible, but there was only so much you could do with the emergency gear they'd found at the base.  
  
They hadn't wanted to stray too far from the NERV base's entrance. They knew that this base was a former JSDF Airbase, and there must be some place around here where they would find better shelter than the emergency quarters they were staying in. But this was a NERV base, and something about that gave them comfort.  
  
'Odd,' thought Shinji, 'I used to be so uncomfortable at NERV, now, it's so familiar, it's almost like home.'  
  
He glanced at Asuka as she got some things out of the freezer for them to make their meal out of, while he was getting the rice.  
  
'And Asuka's an even bigger surprise. Since we woke up that second morning on the beach, she's almost been nice to me. Certainly nicer than she's been since we met.'  
  
"Need anything else?"  
  
"What?" Shinji asked, startled out of his reverie  
  
"I asked do you need anything else?" Asuka asked.  
  
"No, that looks like enough. Was the freezer running?" he asked.  
  
"Yeah. The fans are working and everything. You can hear the compressor motor from here if you listen carefully."  
  
"Well, after we get something to eat, I know it's not something either of us wants to do, but I think we should go through the refrigerator and see what we can salvage, what we need to eat right now, and what's a total loss," he said.  
  
"Ew, Gross!" she exclaimed, scrunching up her nose at the idea.  
  
"I know. I feel the same way, but we've got to do it sooner or later. And it will just get worse," he said.  
  
"Think that trash incinerator is still working?" she asked.  
  
"I think so. If I understand correctly, it runs on electricity, not gas, so it should be back up and running now," Shinji explained.  
  
"Great, then we don't have to haul all this stuff up the stairs and into a garbage dump somewhere."  
  
"We don't have to haul anything upstairs anymore. We can use the Monorail."  
  
"All Right! I totally forgot about that," Asuka cheered.  
  
Shinji smiled. He'd miss walking up and down those stairs. He invariably let Asuka lead the way, and watching her move up the stairs was actually pretty enjoyable.  
  
A small content sigh escaped his lips.  
  
"Tired? Me too, lets get something to eat, and then get some sleep."  
  
"But Asuka, it's barely after noon. I'm not ready to go to bed yet."  
  
"Silly, I'm talking about a power nap. A good meal, a quick nap, and we'll be refreshed and ready to explore some more," she said, tapping the end of his nose.  
  
Shinji's eyes crossed as he looked at her finger. She removed it and laughed at him.  
  
"Well hand me those ingredients, and lets get cooking," he said.  
  
After a hearty meal, which for the first time in almost a week was NOT composed of survival rations, they walked up to the barracks room that they had shared. Neither one of them really felt like sleeping apart from the other, even though there were hundreds of other emergency barracks rooms on this level. Shinji had wondered why Asuka had followed him into the room he'd chosen the first night they'd stayed here, but Asuka had shrugged it off.  
  
He wondered if it was because she was afraid of being alone, despite her protestations that she didn't need anybody. He hardly thought it was worth considering that she might actually want to be close to him.  
  
Now as he lay down on the bed he watched her crawl into the bed across from him.  
  
"Okay, we'll wake up in an hour, and then get some work done," she said, setting the small portable alarm clock she'd found.  
  
"Alright," Shinji said, closing his eyes.  
  
"Shinji."  
  
"Yeah?" he said opening his eyes.  
  
"I know we have lights now, but can you turn them out? I can't sleep with them on," Asuka said.  
  
"Oh, alright," he said, getting up, and shutting off the light, not noticing Asuka watching him intently. Lights off, he crawled back into the bed, and closed his eyes.  
  
"Pleasant dreams Shinji."  
  
"Pleasant dreams Asuka."  
  
After a brief nap, the two of them decided that it was finally time to explore the surface. Shinji wanted to see what they could find, and wanted to do some exploring. He also wanted to be up on the surface when the sun set, to see how much of the surrounding area was being powered by the bases Geothermal generator.  
  
So they went back up to the surface, taking a backpack full of snacks and drinks for each of them, as well as an empty sack. As they encountered the clothing of the former inhabitants of the base, they would go through them, gathering up any keys, wallets, id cards and other bits and pieces. The clothes all got put in one of the storage lockers they'd found near the entrance, and the keys and other personal effects went in the Security control station.  
  
Shinji thought that this way they could get past any locked door with ease, as they'd always have the keys. Although their collection of keys was now several thousand, so it was getting a bit unwieldy. They had taken to recording such things as the place the keys were found, who they belonged to, if ID was found with them, and other relevant notes, such as home address, and any work id.  
  
As they left the underground portion of the NERV base and emerged on the surface, Shinji walked over to the Motorcycle that they'd taken from the diner the week before and put his backpack and bags in the cargo compartment. Asuka did the same, and soon they were riding around the base, exploring and investigating as they went. Shinji was actually kind of disappointed. He'd never been on a real military base before, and wasn't sure what exactly to expect, but it had certainly not been this. The part of the base where the entrance to the NERV facility was was surrounded by security offices, parking garages and other things he'd become familiar with at the main NERV base.  
  
But away from there, there were department stores, called commissaries, and convenience stores, called a PX. There was even a fair sized book store and a movie theatre nearby. There were police stations, for MP's, fire stations, and a hospital They quickly found a couple schools; and a large gym with indoor pools, tennis, basketball, and squash, and more weight equipment than he'd ever seen. But what was most surprising to Shinji was the number of houses. Acres and Acres of houses. All lined up into neat little neighborhoods with neat little houses all looking very much the same.  
  
As they traveled through one neighborhood, Shinji noted that all the houses had the resident officers name and rank painted on the front sidewalk. Sergeants were all in one area, lieutenants in another, Captains in a third, majors in a forth, and the Lieutenant Colonels and Colonels shared one huge area where the streets made three large interconnecting loops. All the houses were on the outside of the loops, and the interior was covered in trees and had a large central park area. At the end of the huge series of triple loops was a large Mansion. The gold embossed sign on the front gate proclaimed this the home of the JSDF Airbases resident commander.  
  
Ironically, there was almost no sign of any real military equipment or weapons in this area. Shinji had to come over a substantial set of hills and into another valley, all of which was still connected within the bases perimeter, according to the map they'd picked up at the Military Checkpoint installed at the entrance to the base. As he crested the rise, he undersood why they hadn't seen any sign of military equipment or weapons in the other areas of the base.  
  
They were all here.  
  
Acres and Acres of runways, hangars, fuel depots, and supply sheds. Building packed with bombs, missiles, and bullets; others containing machineguns, rocket launchers, flame throwers, grenades, and man portable missile systems. There were even Armored Personnel Carriers, Military Transports, and Construction equipment.  
  
"Wow," Shinji said, walking into the last in a series of hangars at the far end of the airfield.  
  
Before him and Asuka sat a squadron of brand new UN F-22 Fighter aircraft.  
  
"That's cool," Shinji said, "I wish Kensuke were here to see these. He'd be going nuts."  
  
"The stooge, yeah, that's just what we need," Asuka said sarcastically.  
  
Shinji sighed and turned the bike around, the sun was about to set and he wanted to get to a good vantage point to watch. He wondered how much of the local area was connected to the NERV facilities power grid. It took the better part of an hour to find exactly what he was looking for, but he finally found it. A park that was on top of a rather tall local hill, or maybe it was a small mountain. Either way, from the parking lot he could see the base and much of the surrounding countryside stretched out for miles around them. He could even see the magenta sea of LCL glowing in the distance.  
  
The sun set was incredible, as the sky proceeded through oranges and golds to reds and purples, and finally the violets and dark blues. Finally true night arrived, and the stars shown down upon them, just as the moon was beginning its slow march across the sky.  
  
Shinji gazed out upon the base as the streetlights glowed. Several of the houses and building were also lit up, and he made a note that he and Asuka should really go around and shut some of the lights off, just in case.  
  
He had finally finished making his survey, deciding that only the base proper was connected to the grid, and not any of the outlying areas, when he turned and saw Asuka.  
  
She had long ago removed her helmet, and her long red hear was cascading down her back. He could only see her left profile, but she had the most beatific smile on her face as she watched the black moon begin to rise over the ocean.  
  
'That's something I hadn't really thought of,' Shinji thought to himself. 'The egg of Lilith, the Guff, is now a new moon, in orbit around the earth. That's cool. Two moon rises for the price of one.'  
  
"Its not alone any more," Asuka whispered.  
  
"What," Shinji said.  
  
"The moon. Or, Luna I guess, since we now have two moons. I always thought that the moon seemed kind of lonely, sitting there in the heavens, orbiting the earth all by itself. It's not alone any more," she said.  
  
Shinji nodded thoughtfully, and looked as the black moon cleared the horizon. They stood there together, watching the two moons ascent into the night sky. The Black moon, surprisingly, had a fairly reflective surface, and was almost glossy, so the night was brighter than Shinji had ever remembered it being.  
  
"Ready to go back?" he asked, pulling on his helmet.  
  
"Yeah, we better get back, I'm starting to get hungry, and I'm tired of sandwiches and power bars," she said, climbing on the bike behind him, and putting on her helmet. As they sped back to the NERV base, she clutched him tightly, and Shinji felt closer to her than he ever had.  
  
'Maybe it's because I'm no longer alone,' he thought to himself.  
  
He pulled the bike into the NERV base, and used the pass card for the commander, which they found in the Command Center, to open the access doors for the monorail. Once They'd parked the bike, he proceeded to press the button for the level where the Cafeteria was.  
  
They enjoyed a leisurely dinner, and a desert made of an instant chocolate pudding that Shinji had found in one of the storage lockers.  
  
Placing their dishes, as well as several other dirty ones they'd cleared off of the other tables, in the large dishwasher, they set the auto run cycle and proceeded back to their quarters. Shinji let Asuka change into her night clothes, which she'd picked up at one of the Commissaries that afternoon. When she gave him the all clear, he came into the room. She was sitting up on the bed, wearing a yellow shirt, almost identical to the one she usually wore around the house, back in Tokyo-3.  
  
He stripped his pants off, too tired to care if Asuka watched, shut off the light, and crawled into his bed. As he lay there in the silence of the room, which was now barely lit by a very soft blue glow coming an small LCD screen set into the wall, he looked at this unfamiliar ceiling.  
  
"Hey Asuka?" he said softly.  
  
"Yeah?" she answered in the same voice.  
  
"Remember how you said you felt the moon was always alone, but now it wasn't because of the black moon?" he continued.  
  
"Yeah." She confirmed.  
  
"Well... I... That is... I just wanted you to know, that that's how I feel too," he finished.  
  
"That the moon isn't alone?" she asked.  
  
"No. That I'm not alone any more. That I have a good friend who will always be there for me," he finished. He closed his eyes and went to sleep.  
  
Asuka stayed awake for almost another hour, just staring at Shinji's sleeping form. She didn't know if she'd have the guts to tell him that she felt the same way, but she knew that she never would have been the first to say it. She lay there for a long time, thinking about what he'd said, and all the things they'd been through together, and any number of other things, before her sleep addled mind finally came to a decision.  
  
Quietly she got up, walked over to his bed, and slid in beside him, trying to disturb him as little as possible. He rolled over, turning his back to her, and she snuggled up against him, hugging him softly in his sleep.  
  
"Me too, Shinji, me too," she whispered, and closed her eyes.  
  
Next on Episode 2:03 of Neon Genesis Evangelion No longer alone, Shinji and Asuka have stopped living in the dark and dank quarters they shared within the NERV facility. Now, their new responsibilities consume most of their days and available energy, but a new chapter in their lives is on the horizon, and the two former EVA Pilots will once again gain that status before enjoying a relaxing night at home.  
  
It's Evangelion Episode 2:03 Another Unfamiliar Ceiling. 


	3. Episode 2:03

Disclaimer: Neon Genesis Evangelion is Owned by Gainax. Buy the DVD's of the Series and the Movies from them. I did, and it was worth every dime. I don't own anything except my DVD's, and this is done for my own satisfaction.  
  
Episode 2:03 Another Unfamiliar Ceiling.  
  
Takes place after 1st season, and the End of Evangelion Movie.  
  
Presumed date is day Tuesday February 23rd , 2016  
  
Shinji opened his eyes and stared up at the ceiling over his head.  
  
'Another Unfamiliar Ceiling,' he thought to himself. Sitting up he stretched and threw back the covers of his bed. He dressed quickly and headed out into the kitchen to begin making breakfast. It was 4:59 am, and he had a busy day ahead of him. He and Asuka had to report to the Airfield by 6:00am, and wouldn't have a break until sometime after noon. Then after lunch they'd be back at work, training in the flight simulators until sometime after 5:00pm  
  
He started the stove, and began to heat up some cold rice. He started the tea water boiling, and added the leaves when it was time, and set it aside to steep. He got out the butter, milk, and sugar, and added them to the rice, making it sweet and tasty. He missed chicken eggs, but no one had found chickens at any of the local farms that had been visited, so if he ever got real nostalgic he could prepare some of the powdered eggs they'd found. Even if they were disgusting.  
  
The fact they hadn't found chickens yet was a minor worry. Shinji was sure they'd eventually find them. There hadn't been too many animals around when he and Asuka had first awakened on the beach, but over the last few weeks more and more had been sighted coming out of the forests to reclaim their former lands. Sooner or later some chickens would show up, and they'd be able to have eggs again.  
  
The one thing he did wonder about was the sea. It was now a sea of LCL, formed of the blood of Lilith/Rei, at her death. Her body had dissolved quickly, much to the relief of all the Awakened. Seeing giant rotting heads and arms lying on the horizon was disturbing. But the Seas had paid the price. The LCL had flooded into them, and Shinji wondered if anything was alive in that sea of blood. Admittedly, he and Asuka had lived in the stuff for months, but he wasn't sure if it was all that conducive to support sea life. After all the Dead Sea on the former site of Antarctica was called that, because nothing could live there.  
  
The table was set, the tea ready, the rice warm and deliscious, but Asuka was still not here. He walked to her bedroom door, and knocked softly.  
  
"Asuka, we've got duty in 35 minutes, time to get up, or we're gonna be late."  
  
From within her heard a moan and a grumble.  
  
"Tell Akagi that I died in Third Impact and can't come in to work today," she groaned.  
  
"That isn't going to work Asuka. We all died in Third Impact, and we all have to work today. Who knows how many people we're going to recover today, so get up."  
  
"Alright, Alright. Gah! I need to brush my teeth and take a shower," she grumbled.  
  
"Towels are clean and ready for you in the bathroom, and breakfast is on the table," he said cheerfully.  
  
Asuka grumbled to herself, as she walked into the bathroom. He was too damn cheerful, that was his problem. There was almost nothing that infuriated her more on mornings like this, than a cheerful Shinji Ikari. She wondered at that. Before Instrumentality, she would have taken great delight in crushing him, making him feel like a worm.  
  
'Just so that I could feel superior,' she thought.  
  
Turning on the shower, she stepped under the water, and began to soap her body as it washed over her. She was quick, as she really should have been up before now, and brushed her teeth in the shower as well, before jumping out, and drying herself off. She walked back into her room, wrapped in two more towels, put on her flight suit, and walked out to the kitchen table, towel still wrapped around her head.  
  
"Mmm, that smells delicious Shinji, thank you. One of these day's I promise, I'll get up early and cook you breakfast," she said, taking her first bite.  
  
"It's no big deal Asuka, I like cooking. I got pretty used to doing all the cooking at Misato's before you moved in," he smiled, the frowned.  
  
"Misato, huh?" she asked.  
  
"Yeah. She hasn't come back yet, and I'm wondering if she will."  
  
"I'd bet she is, but you have to remember it's been barely a month and a half since Instrumentality, and the number of people Awakening each day is increasing. Professor Fuyutsuki said we recovered over 24 people yesterday. That's a new record, and we've set records twice in the last four days."  
  
"Really, that's cool. I hope she does come back; I sure do miss her."  
  
"Hmmph," she snorted.  
  
"Ha. Jealous?" he teased.  
  
"Of Misato, Never!" she growled. Then took a quick sip of the tea to cover her facial expression. Actually, she did feel a little spike of jealousy. He always spoke of Misato with such love. She had been both of their foster mother, but somehow, Shinji had always been closer to her than Asuka had. She couldn't understand that. She missed Misato as a friend, and was concerned that she hadn't come back yet, but she wasn't pining over her loss.  
  
"Oh Crap, look at the time," Shinji growled, jumping up, and grabbing a last quick sip of his tea.  
  
"Great, only ten minutes to get to the Airfield," Asuka exclaimed, forgetting her meal, and jumping up. They both grabbed their jackets, and helmet's and headed down the stairs and out the rear doors of the Visiting Officer Quarters. Almost like a group of Condo's, but really nothing more than a military hotel, the individual VOQ rooms had everything you could want. The large covered parking area behind the VOQ only had a couple other cars in it, and only one motorcycle.  
  
Shinji's Kawasaki.  
  
He jumped on it, keyed the ignition, and waited for her to finish adjusting her helmet. She did so, and climbed on, leaning forward to wrap her arms around him. For some reason she didn't feel quite as comfortable on this bike when she leaned back into the seat like she was meant to.  
  
Shinji could feel her press up against him, and gunned the motor, as the bike left the parking lot. He glanced at the digital clock in the top of the dash. Six minutes. He'd have to hurry if they weren't going to keep the senior pilots waiting. The first alarms would be sounding within the next 45 minutes, and they needed to be in position to rescue the Awakened from stumbling around in a daze.  
  
Professor Fuyutsuki, a day or two after he'd awakened, had convinced Shinji, Asuka, and Doctor Akagi that it would be better to make people feel like they belonged, rather than isolate them. If they were isolated they might feel threatened, when confronted with other survivors, and maybe even resort to violence. Fuyutsuki felt that this was unnecessary, as there were more than enough supplies for the taking for anyone who wished them. Also, a community could accomplish much more than a few pockets isolated and hostile individuals.  
  
So they'd started going out in trucks the first few days, driven by the Doctor or the Professor, rescuing the dazed Awakened, and bringing them back here. Now every day their ranks swelled.  
  
Shinji came over the last hill to the airfield with 45 seconds to spare. On the landing field were two UN VTOL aircraft warming up. They flew through the gate, and parked in the usual space; taking off and storing their riding gear in the lockers provided.  
  
"See you this afternoon Shinji," Asuka waved.  
  
"Bye Asuka," he answered, climbing into his waiting VTOL.  
  
"'bout time Ikari. What happened, wild night with the girlfriend last night?" the older pilot asked. He'd been a Major with the JSDF Airforce before Instrumentality, and was now the head pilot and chief trainer for the survivors of Nagoya-2.  
  
"No sir, Major, we just slept in," Shinji muttered as he put on his flight helmet, and buckled himself in.  
  
"You, oversleep? Ha! Tell me another one Ikari," the man said, "I'd lay even money that you haven't overslept a day in your life."  
  
Shinji didn't say anything. Well it was true. He had NEVER slept in; he was always an early riser. Something about his internal clock was extremely accurate, and all he had to do was decide to wake up at a certain time, and he always beat the alarm clock awake.  
  
They lifted off with the usual ease the Major brought to all his take offs and were soon orbiting the base, as the other VTOL lifted as well. As soon as they were both in the air, the pilot of the other craft broadcast his usual message.  
  
"SOP Major? We cover the Kyoto beachfront while you take Shizuoka-2?"  
  
"Roger Captain, keep in contact with headquarters for precise locations of Awakenings."  
  
"Roger Major, Recovery 2 out," came the voice, and the other VTOL headed off to the west-southwest. Shinji felt his own craft bank the opposite way, and they headed almost due east.  
  
Within thirty minutes they were over their assigned recovery area, the beach south of the city of Shizuoka-2, a fair sized port city, which somehow Shinji and Asuka had missed. If they had gone northeast on their bike, instead of west, to Nagoya-2, they would have been in Shizuoka-2 in less than 5 minutes.  
  
"Recovery 1 to Command, Recovery 1 to Command, are you reading us? Over," Shinji said.  
  
"Recovery 1 this is Command we're reading you five by five. Sensors are active and everything looks good. Clock reads as four minutes to first Awakening, if contact remains true to form. Over."  
  
"Roger Command, Orbiting area now, please advise on precise co-ordinates when you have a fix. Over," Shinji replied.  
  
"Roger that, Recovery 1, stand-bye. Over," the technician said.  
  
Shinji and the major waited only about two more minutes before the technician was back on the comm. "Energy spike. Pattern Red detected. Fixing location. Stand by. Stand by. Location locked. Targets are 8.3 kilometers northeast of your present position."  
  
"Roger, Targets are Eight Decimal Three Kliks Northeast of our present position, beginning recovery. One out," Shinji said, as the major dropped the nose of the aircraft and headed towards the precise location of the Awakened.  
  
As they came up the beach, they could see a man and woman, holding hands, walking up the beach. There, on the beach were their foot prints, and the impression of their bodies where they had lain upon the sand, but as usual there were no footprints or other marks to indicate how the bodies had gotten there.  
  
They over flew the two of them, and landed on a road a few hundred yards inland. The couple soon crested the last of the dunes, and walked down to the aircraft cautiously. Shinji removed his helmet, and motioned them forward.  
  
He bowed.  
  
"Welcome back from Instrumentality. I am Pilot Shinji Ikari, and we are here to help. Please board the aircraft," he said, smiling and holding his hands out.  
  
The couple looked at each other, and Shinji could see the fear and hesitancy in their eyes.  
  
"Please. I don't mean to rush you, but we must get you back to our base of operations, so that we can come back for the next two who Awaken, which will be some time within the next hour."  
  
The woman nodded, and the man stepped aboard first, helping the woman in. Shinji made sure they were secure, and shut the large door, moving back up to his Co-Pilot seat. The Pilot poured power to the engines and they lifted off the ground, heading back to the NERV facility.  
  
As they were landing the young man came forward to see what was happening. He was fascinated by the sprawling military base below him, and surprised at the number of vehicles moving. Whether he was surprised to see any of them at all, or surprised to see so few, Shinji couldn't decide.  
  
"I know you don't I," the man said.  
  
"I don't think we've ever met," Shinji said calmly. This part always made him uncomfortable, but it had to be played out for the newly Awakened.  
  
"No. I know you. I know I do. I remember. You were inside that big purple monster, and you got attacked by all those white ones, and then... and then..." he trailed off.  
  
"And then we all died," Shinji confirmed for the man. Best to get it out of the way fast, he had to be strong enough to take it. No one who wasn't, would have ever been able to Awaken.  
  
"... we died," the man repeated slowly.  
  
"Yes, we did, but thanks to the choices of this rather remarkable young man, we have been allowed to return," the Major said. "There are orientation crews on the ground who will help you with all your questions. Do not hesitate to ask anything, and remember, they were once just like you." The VTOL touched down. "Here you go, last stop," the Major cried, and the sliding door opened, and two smiling guides helped the two newcomers out of the craft.  
  
"Ready for some more hero worship, Pilot Ikari?" he grinned.  
  
"Gimme a break Major, lets just get back there before someone wakes up and gets a head start on us. I'm not spending the next four hours flying search patterns because you were lazy."  
  
The Major laughed, and poured power to the engines, and the VTOL leapt into the sky.  
  
They made four more trips like the first one, except for the last two trips, in which they carried four passengers each. Fourteen passengers today total, for Recovery 1, not a bad total, Shinji thought. Asuka and Recovery 2 should have gotten at least 12, so that would be 26 at least for the day.  
  
Shinji hoped that they did; it would be another new record.  
  
When the last of the passengers had been offloaded, Shinji and the Major did a quick walk around the VTOL, checking the craft for any wear or odd leaks. An older gentleman, wearing a greasy coverall came out of the VTOL Hangar.  
  
"She handle okay for you Major," he asked saluting sloppily.  
  
The Major returned the salute, crisply, and said, "Like a baby, Chief, you wanna take her into the hangar and top her up?"  
  
"Not a problem Major, two of yesterdays arrivals were a Civilian Aircraft Maintenance Technician, and a Fixed Wing Aircraft Technician for the Navy. I've got it easy. One or two more show up, and I can retire again," the older man laughed.  
  
"Not yet, Chief. Pilot Ikari here is going to be taking his qualifying exam today."  
  
"Is that true Pilot?" the old man asked. Shinji nodded in affirmation, somewhat embarrassed.  
  
"Well good luck," the old man said, shaking his hand and bowing repeatedly.  
  
Shinji repeated the gesture, and excused himself.  
  
He walked back to the ready room, and took off his helmet, placing it in his locker, and got out his Motorcycle helmet and jacket. He heard a loud whine overhead, and figured that Recovery 2 was finally back from it's last run. He stepped outside, and watched as the VTOL landed, and began offloading passengers. After all the passengers had exited, Asuka and the Captain got out, and checked in with the old Chief.  
  
Asuka waved goodbye, and bounced over past Shinji and into the locker room. Shinji walked over to the Soda Locker that was set up next to the door. He grabbed himself a Lemon Ginger cola, and got a Starfruit and Pineapple for Asuka. She came out the door with her jacket and helmet, looking for Shinji, a few moments later, and he tossed her the soda. She grabbed the drink in her free left hand, and popped the lid, chugging it in one gulp.  
  
"Ah. That really hit the spot. Thanks Shinji. Ready for lunch, I'm starved," she smiled and pulled on the jacket and Helmet. He nodded, and put his own gear on, grabbing the keys, and stepping over to the bike. Asuka got on, as he started it up, and they were soon heading out of the Airfield, and back to the NERV Monorail Station.  
  
This was the times that Shinji enjoyed the most. Speeding over the deserted roads, with Asuka behind him, not a care in the world. Away from all the concerns of their old lives, and the new responsibilities of the new. And the Hero Worship. Somehow during Instrumentality, everyone had seen and known everything Shinji had seen and done. Including his refusal to become one with the rest of mankind. And because of that, those who had a strong sense of self were now awakening.  
  
Shinji pulled the bike into the usual parking spot at the monorail station, and got off the bike. He and Asuka left their helmets and jackets here, in a small footlocker they'd salvaged from one of the barracks downstairs, and headed for the Monorails doors. There were a dozen other people here, and Shinji nodded pleasantly in recognition to a couple, and then bowed his head, embarrassed by the stares of the others, mostly newcomers.  
  
"You have to get used to the idea that some of these people are going to look on you as the new Messiah, Shinji. We'll do our best to convince them otherwise, but it's not going to be easy. You DID really save us all," Ritsuko had said.  
  
'Yeah, by running away again,' he'd thought quietly, not having the courage to speak up. He was still intimidated by her presence.  
  
"So. Lunch then simulator practice, right?" Asuka asked.  
  
"Yep. And if we're lucky, the Major will qualify us for independent flight operations today, and tomorrow we go out on our first solo missions," he nodded smiling at the idea.  
  
Finally, to be a Pilot again. This time not of a giant that was linked to him via his brains emotional centers, but a powerful aircraft, totally under his command.  
  
When they got down to the underground station for the monorail, they stepped off, and took the elevator to the Cafeteria. Shinji got Shark Fin Ramen with Tempura Salmon. He asked the server where the Salmon came from.  
  
"Oh, the scavenger teams found a small hatchery in the hills about ten miles away. It's full of fresh water and thousands of fish. We should be getting a supply of fresh fish every day from now on. I gather that the ponds were fully stocked with everything from hatchlings up through fully grown adult fish."  
  
"Great," Shinji said, taking his tray back to the booth he and Asuka usually shared.  
  
Asuka was already there, and was shoveling food into her mouth. She barely noticed Shinji sit down, except with a head bob, and a wave of her tea at him. Shinji dug into his food as well, relishing the noodles and the fish, which was delicious.  
  
Asuka finished her meal, leaning back with a satisfied sigh.  
  
"That was very good," she said, finishing mentally, 'but not as good as Shinji's."  
  
"Yes it really is. I mean, they try hard and everything, but the guys in the cafeteria kitchen just aren't professional chef's. Although the Ramen is really good. I think I heard someone say that the new guy in the kitchen used to run a Ramen cart."  
  
Asuka just nodded, and waited for him to finish his meal. When he finally did finish she got up, and Shinji policed their booth, gathering up the trays and cups, and placed them in the return slot, to be washed.  
  
They walked back to the elevators, and pressed the button for level 3-11, where their training was to take place in the VR simulators in the training area there. Shinji watched Asuka lean her left shoulder against the wall of the elevator, as it descended, and run a hand through her hair, shaking it out.  
  
'Jeez she's beautiful,' he thought. Then, before he could say anything, they were leaving the elevator for their destination.  
  
Walking into the Simulator Training room, they were greeted by a technician who used to work as a game developer for SEGA Japan. He was the resident computer wizard, and had figured out how to get this system up and running again, so that they could receive whatever training they required. He was also some kind of sadist. Shinji's first trip here had been a harrowing experience, nothing like the fun time in the grown up arcade he'd predicted.  
  
Thrown through every emergency in the book, he'd emerged battered and sweating an hour later, having crashed more times than he cared to remember.  
  
The man smiled as he saw Asuka and Shinji approach.  
  
"Gonna try for those flight wings today?" he asked them.  
  
"Oh, I know I'm going to pass, but is there anything you can do to make it easy on poor Shinji," Asuka purred, shifting her shoulders, and winking slyly at the tech, "as a favor to me?"  
  
"Sorry ma'am, no favors. If he passes he passes on his own merits. No shortcuts. We can't afford them," the tech replied, not falling for it.  
  
Asuka pouted, and Shinji was slightly put out. Didn't she think he was good enough? Of course she didn't she was Asuka, and she never thought he was good enough. With a mental sigh, he climbed into the simulator on the left, while she got into the one on the right. As the hatches closed, he took one last look at Asuka, with a sad grin on his face. He was surprised to see that she pouting, and looked mildly upset.  
  
'Nah, must have been imagining it,' he thought.  
  
At the same time Shinji and Asuka were entering their simulators Doctor Ritsuko Akagi was up to her elbows in the wiring for the facilities supercomputer, the Shepherd. Not as powerful as the Magi, and only a single unit at that, it was none the less, pretty impressive.  
  
"Any luck Ritsuko?" Professor Fuyutsuki asked.  
  
Ritsuko sighed, and pulled out of the system.  
  
"No, I'm afraid not. This system will never be a replacement for our Magi, and it was never meant to be. This system was state of the art in 2005, but now, it's slow and obsolete. Still, it's all we've got," she sighed.  
  
"So what exactly does that mean for us?"  
  
"It means that we only have access to two Surveillance Satellites and a single weather Satellite. We have no Mil-Star or Comm-Star access, as those codes were all lost with the Magi, and this system couldn't handle the high bandwidth transmissions anyway. This system uses 256 bit encryption, and the new NERV satellites are all running on 1024 bit," she said.  
  
"So we can see Japan, and some of Asia and the Pacific, but other than that we're totally blind."  
  
"Exactly," she said.  
  
"Well at least we have that much," Fuyutsuki said, consolingly  
  
At Four o'clock Shinji and Asuka were heading home after an exhausting day. They had both passed their tests with flying colors, although the tech told Shinji that he needed to work on his landings a little more. They had then reported to Ritsuko, who was running the NERV base, with the assistance of Professor Fuyutsuki. They'd both been pleased, and had assigned Shinji and Asuka each an aircraft of their own, for use in recovery missions.  
  
"Now I want both of you to go home and relax. Tomorrow is your scheduled day off anyway, and I want you both fresh Thursday morning for your first flight. Report to the Airfield at 8:00 am, and you'll each do a half shift on Recovery. Alright?" Ritsuko asked.  
  
"Sure thing, Ritsuko, goodbye," they said, waiving goodbye, and leaving happily.  
  
It took them another fifteen minutes to return to the surface, and they were soon wheeling out of the Monorail Stations Parking Garage. Shinji looked at the sky, just beginning to show the first hints of sunset.  
  
"Hey Asuka, want to go watch the sunset from that park again?" he asked.  
  
"Sure Shinji; that would be nice. All we ever seem to do lately is work and sleep," she said, tiredly, leaning into him.  
  
Shinji smiled. Well, it might not be a real date, but he could pretend it was. And who knew, maybe, someday, he'd be able to ask her out on a real date. Not that he thought she'd say yes, despite the fact that she'd behaved quite differently towards him since they'd Awoken on that beach.  
  
He pulled up the long road, that circled the mountain, and parked in the lot at the top. They both got off, and set their gear aside, sitting down at a pick-nick table to watch the now rapidly setting sun.  
  
It was almost hidden by the tops of the mountains in the west, and would soon sink into the sea, bringing true darkness. The sky overhead was full of soft wispy clouds, that the light was turning all shades of purple and reds. They sat there for a bit, until the sun was truly down, and then got back on the bike, heading back to the VOQ, and a leisurely dinner. Asuka actually helped Shinji by chopping several of the vegetables for their stir fry, and getting the rice out of the container Shinji had put it in. When Shinji came out into the living room with their dinner, Asuka had already put a movie into the DVD player, and was totally engrossed by it.  
  
He sighed.  
  
'Great. Another chick flick. This is that one where the girl is secretly in love with her boss, but neither one of them realize it until he marries the wrong woman,' he thought. If he'd been a little faster, he might have been able to pick the movie.  
  
He handed her the dinner plate, and took a seat on the couch. Asuka sitting on the floor, ate her food quickly, and then set back to enjoy the movie. It was just the sort of movie she loved. Star crossed lovers finding themselves and their soul mates. 'Ah love,' she thought.  
  
Shinji finished his meal, and gathered up their dishes. He washed them and returned to the living room where the movie was only about half over. He sat down on the couch again, and looked down on Asuka, sitting on the floor between him and the TV. She had gotten out a large soft brush, and was running it through her hair, trying to untangle some of the knots that had appeared under it.  
  
"Here Asuka, let me do that," he said.  
  
She turned and looked at him.  
  
"What, you want to brush my hair for me?"  
  
"Yeah, sure. Why not? I used to brush my foster sisters hair when I was..." he broke off, remembering his foster family, the people who'd raised him since his father abandoned him.  
  
"Okay, but if you get any perverted ideas, I'm gonna clobber you," she said, leaning back and handing over the brush.  
  
Shinji started to work on her long read hair. Carefully brushing it out, and taking extra care whenever he came to a knot. He would firmly grip her hair above the knot, and attack it vigorously. Asuka never felt a thing, except the gentle stroking of her hair. Soon her head was lolling back, and her eyes were closed.  
  
Shinji continued to brush, and soon her hair was laid out over his lap like a red blanket, covering his thighs. He looked down at Asuka's face, which was now tilted upwards.  
  
'She's so peaceful like this. You'd never suspect that she could be as mean as she has been if you saw her like this,' he thought. 'She's so beautiful." He kept staring at her, softly brushing her hair, even though she now appeared to be asleep. Some part of him, longed to lean over and kiss her, but he knew the horrible punishment that would erupt if he dared to. And Savior of Mankind he might be, he was none the less terrified of certain angry females.  
  
'No way,' he thought.  
  
He looked down at her again, and realized that she really was sound asleep.  
  
'Great, now how do I wake her up without pissing her off. She'll accuse me of all kinds of nasty things. Only some of which I'm guilty of. Oh well, I guess there are worse places to sleep than on the couch with her on the floor in front of me.  
  
And, pulling a pillow from the edge of the couch over to prop himself lightly on, he drifted off to sleep.  
  
Asuka woke up half an hour later, and found her movie over, and Shinji asleep on the couch behind her. She hadn't meant to fall asleep, but having her hair brushed was so relaxing. She got up and walked into her bedroom, and returned with a spare blanket, spreading it over Shinji.  
  
"Thanks for letting me sleep, Baka!" she whispered before going back to her own bed.  
  
Next on Episode 2:04 of Neon Genesis Evangelion Two lost friends will be recovered, and a party is held to celebrate the Awakening of these lost companions. Also, preparations will be made for the most joyous of events.  
  
It's Evangelion Episode 2:04 Awakenings: Two by Two 


	4. Episode 2:04

Disclaimer: Neon Genesis Evangelion is Owned by Gainax. Buy the DVD's of the Series and the Movies from them. I did, and it was worth every dime. I don't own anything except my DVD's, and this is done for my own satisfaction.  
  
Episode 2:04 Awakenings: Two by Two  
  
Takes place after 1st season, and the End of Evangelion Movie.  
  
Presumed date is Tuesday May 31st, 2016  
  
Toji Suzuhara blinked his eyes open and sat up slowly. The red sea of LCL before him seemed like something out of a half forgotten dream. He looked down at himself, and immediately noticed that his arm and leg were no longer missing. Then it all came back to him. Shinji's Unit-01 crucified, and going into orbit, Rei, a monstrous creature rising up. Then there was a terrible/wonderful pain/exaltation, and his mind was suddenly joined with the minds of billions.  
  
And now here he was on a beach, under the rising sun and the two moons. Two moons? Yes, two moons, the seconds smaller one was actually Lilith's egg, and home to the united consciousness of mankind. The hope/hell of human instrumentality, and the physical embodiment of the 'God' Seele had tried to create.  
  
"Pthu! Great, I've got sand in my mouth," Toji heard someone to his right say. Turning his head he saw Kensuke Aida, sitting up and spitting sand from his mouth.  
  
"Hey brain, nice to see you're here too," he said.  
  
"Whoa, Toji, you look great. Hikari told us that they had to amputate, but you look fine now," the young man observed.  
  
"Yeah, but don't ask me how, cause I have no idea," Toji said.  
  
"Well, we've been reborn, you Baka. I'd say that whatever power brought us back, wanted to make sure we were whole," Kensuke observed.  
  
"Yeah, I guess so. I wonder if anyone else is alive."  
  
"Oh, I'm sure they are. In fact I'd bet money on it. I seem to recall seeing Shinji and Asuka waking up on a beach like this, only I don't know where or when. I don't even know HOW I know that, come to think of it."  
  
"I think it has something to do with being part of that," Toji said, pointing at the black moon, which was setting over the far horizon.  
  
"Yeah, I bet you're right. Well what do you know, the jock isn't totally stupid after all," Kensuke jibbed.  
  
Toji turned and shook a fist at Kensuke. "Wanna go back?" he threatened.  
  
"No, No, that's quite alright," Kensuke waved, smiling. "Still I wonder where we are, and where everyone else is."  
  
"And I wonder where we can get something to eat?"  
  
"Toji the Stomach strikes again," Kensuke chimed.  
  
Suddenly a loud rumble and high-pitched whine sounded on the horizon. Both boys turned to look towards the sound and saw one of the UN VTOL transports coming up the coast towards them.  
  
"Hey look, I think it's a rescue party," said Kensuke.  
  
"Good, they can save me from killing you. And they'd better have food."  
  
Both boys stood up, and watched the aircraft approach; it did a brief fly- by and then headed inland behind them, and descended. Seeing where it had landed, the two boys sprinted over the sand and dunes until they crested a rise, and looked down on a parking lot, and the VTOL as it's engines maintained idle. Suddenly the large door in the side slid open, and two men jumped out, wearing NERV uniforms, and carrying blankets. The two youths ran down to the VTOL, and were bundled up, and placed inside the craft.  
  
"Welcome back guys," they heard, and both boys snapped around. Sitting in the Cockpit, at the Pilots station was Shinji Ikari.  
  
"Whoa! Shinji, I didn't think we'd see YOU this soon," Kensuke shouted, running up to shake Shinji's hand, and bow.  
  
"Actually, I've been waiting and watching for you two for over six months," he laughed. "It's good to see you again. Hey, Toji, you look great, any after affects from the regeneration?"  
  
"Regen... Oh, the leg and the arm, nah, it's just weird, you know. I remember losing them, and now, here they are."  
  
"That's cause these aren't are old bodies. They're new and improved. But we'll get into all that later. Anyhow, hang on; we're heading back to HQ. There are some people there who are going to be very glad to see you." Shinji turned back to the controls, and Kensuke and Toji watched as he poured power to the engines, and lifted the VTOL off the pavement, heading for the sky. Behind them the two NERV officers closed the hatch, and locked it down before taking their seats at the rear of the aircraft.  
  
It was a quick ride back to the NERV base at Nagoya-2, and the two young men marveled at Shinji's piloting abilities, as he brought the craft into a brief hover, and descended to the designated area of the landing tarmac. Shinji stayed with them, refusing to hand them over to the orientation crew, but instead walking them through what had happened during Instrumentality, and during their time away. He boarded a Shuttle Bus with them, and took them to the NERV Monorail station, continuing to bring them up to date as he went.  
  
"... so after we got the main power turned on, we started checking things out. It took Asuka and I about a week to figure it all out, but we got the place up and running pretty quick. We were having breakfast one morning, a couple days later, when all hell broke loose. Alarms and sirens started going off, and we rushed into the control room, thinking there was some kind of Angel attack happening. Instead the controls said we had a 'Pattern Red.' When we looked up what exactly that meant, it turns out that it was something programmed into the sensors, just in case. A 'Pattern Red' announces that a spike in the local AT fields has occurred, without the presence of an EVA or an Angel. We went to investigate the area that was pinpointed on the map, and found Professor Fuyutsuki and Doctor Akagi walking up the highway, not far from where we found you."  
  
Shinji held open a door to the monorail train, and his two friends entered swiftly. Walking forward he tapped a button on a flat panel display, and the train began to descend into the earth.  
  
"So after we brought them back here, Ritsuko figured out that if we'd come back, even more people might be coming back, so we'd better get organized. Professor Fuyutsuki got us organized, and we got things ready for our next new arrivals. After a couple weeks we'd managed to rescue a few more people and, once we finished cleaning up the NERV command facility, it started to feel like it really was home."  
  
Shinji reached into his flight suit and pulled out a water bottle and took a swig.  
  
"Anyhow, we started having these 'red alerts' every couple of days after that. Then it was every morning, and more and more people began to appear. The first couple times it happened there was only a single couple appearing each morning. Then on the fourth week following Asuka's and my awakening we had four alerts go in a single day. We had to send out recovery teams far and wide to get them, but we've been bringing everyone we could find back here. Of course our sensors are only good for a little over a five hundred kilometers, so we're pretty sure there's other's Awakening across the globe, but we can't get to them right now. We can only hope and pray that they make it on their own until we can send out contact teams."  
  
"So how many people have you found so far?" Toji asked.  
  
"A little over three thousand so far," Shinji said. "The numbers have peaked over the last few weeks though. Professor Fuyutsuki thinks that when the numbers start to decline it will signal the end of the Awakening period. If it holds true to his projections, we' start finding fewer and fewer people until the last of them appear, probably sometime next year. By then we should be up around six or eight thousand here in Japan. Fuyutsuki thinks the total world population will probably stabilize at around 300,000 to 600,000"  
  
"Wow, talk about population control. That's less and 0.02% of the earths population before all this happened," Kensuke said.  
  
"Not that I'm complaining too much, Shinji, but why a NERV base?" Toji asked.  
  
"Self contained power grid. The hydrothermal vents provide all the power to the base, and a few small outlying buildings. We've got some crews working on trying to tie us into the Nagoya-2 grid, so we can light the city, but we don't dare fire up any of the old coal, gas, or nuclear plants. Not enough people in the right fields to run things. It's not to bad, really. When NERV built this underground facility, there was already a substantial JSDF Airbase on the site. They dug the holes they needed, built the facilities here, and kept everything else. So there are plenty of homes and other amenities nearby."  
  
Toji's eyes glazed over, as Shinji talked, the explanation beyond him. "Oh. Okay, so now what?" he asked, as the monorail came to a stop.  
  
"Now this," Shinji said, opening the doors to the platform the train was stopped at.  
  
"WELCOME BACK AIDA AND SUZAHARA!" the crowd of people gathered there shouted.  
  
The two teens were staggered by the thunder of cheers and applause, and Toji suddenly found himself crushed within the embrace of Hikari Horaki, Former Class II-A Rep, and the girl Toji had a crush on.  
  
"I'm so glad you're back, Toji-Chan, I was starting to worry I'd never see you again," she cried. Grabbing his face between her hands, she planted a kiss on his lips, and pulled him into a hug, whispering into his ear, "I love you."  
  
Stunned by her declaration, Toji found himself at a loss for words, until he realized, what he had to say, what he had wanted to say before, but never had the courage. "I love you too Hikari-Chan."  
  
"Whoa, Toji, where'd THAT come from?" Kensuke asked.  
  
"I don't know, but it felt great," Toji said, holding Hikari, and grinning like an idiot.  
  
"Hey, Dork, let her breathe," said a snide voice Toji had really hoped he wouldn't hear again.  
  
"Hey Asuka, take a long walk off a short pier," Toji said.  
  
Asuka smirked at the four other teenagers at the door of the monorail, and said, "Well come on, Misato's got this party ready to roll, and we're just waiting for the two guests of honor."  
  
"Wow! Misato's back too?" Kensuke asked.  
  
"Yup, and you're never going to guess who we found her with."  
  
"Ayanami?" Kensuke asked excitedly.  
  
"Ah, no Kensuke," said Shinji, "While most of us were absorbed into the egg of Lilith, Ayanami BECAME Lilith. Actually, according to Professor Fuyutsuki, I guess she always was Lilith, and my mother, and maybe part something else."  
  
"Then who'd you find Misato with?"  
  
"Me," cried a deep laughing voice next to them.  
  
"Kaji? Wow, you came back too. But Shinji said you were dead, how is that possible?"  
  
"Well, I didn't actually die until Third Impact. I was shot and left for dead, suffering from massive head trauma, but a passerby found my body in the park where the Section Two agents had left me. I spent my last days in Hospital at Tokyo-2," Kaji Ryoji said.  
  
"I bet that made Misato happy," Kensuke said.  
  
"More than happy, it made me a Fiancée," came the sultry reply.  
  
Kaji and the three teenage boys turned their heads, and watched Misato Katsuragi approach, her dark blue jacket pulled tight over her black knit shirt, and emphasizing her breasts. Blood began to trickle out of all four noses.  
  
"Boys," grunted Asuka.  
  
Misato laughed. "Well, who can blame them, I know I certainly don't," she said flirtatiously, before planting a passionate kiss on Kaji Ryoji. Kaji's nosebleed stopped, but the three teen boys just got worse.  
  
'I wish that was me,' thought Kensuke Aida.  
  
'I wish that was me,' thought Toji Suzuhara.  
  
'I wish that was me and Asuka,' thought Shinji Ikari, remembering their first kiss.  
  
Misato broke the kiss, and looked over at the two new arrivals. "Well what are you waiting for, lets get this party started," Misato hollered, and immediately music began to play, and people began to talk excitedly.  
  
After making the rounds, and shaking hands with over 400 people, Kensuke took a break to find Shinji and talk to him.  
  
"So when did you learn to pilot a UN VTOL?"  
  
"Oh a few months ago. It took days of training in the VR Cockpit simulators for me to figure out the controls. They really aren't all that different that the controls of a couple video games I've played. Heck after piloting and EVA, that thing's a piece of cake. Anyway, I had to qualify before they felt I was competent to pilot. We don't have any real 'Laws' yet, but it seems common sense that we complete some form of training before trying to fly a VTOL."  
  
"Can I do it?"  
  
"Sure, we'll get Misato to put you down as a Pilot Trainee during orientation," said Shinji.  
  
"Orientation?" asked Aida.  
  
"Yeah, most people are pretty confused after they come back, so we try to bring them in, give them something to do, and train them to help us out."  
  
"And we're all members of NERV?"  
  
Shinji laughed, "Well no, not really, at least not the NERV we all remember and loathe, but we had all these uniforms here, so that's what we dressed everyone in. When you're off duty, you can wear whatever you want. Duty Uniforms let the people around you know that you're doing you're job. It also helps with new arrivals to see some form of authority, even though we're a rather casual group of people."  
  
"So who's in charge?" Kensuke asked.  
  
"Well Professor Fuyutsuki resigned as the ranking officer of NERV, so that left Misato and Doctor Akagi as the most likely choices for leader. Doctor Akagi declined, saying she's a physician, and is tired of giving orders, so it was left to Misato. She's in charge of Operations and the NERV Command Center, and Doctor Akagi and Professor Fuyutsuki have taken over the management of the Civilian Sectors."  
  
Suddenly Asuka's laugh broke over the noise of the party.  
  
"And Asuka?" Kensuke asked, turning to look at Shinji. Kensuke saw the longing, yet sad look on his friends face, and shook his head, 'Man he's got it bad. Too bad it's for someone like her. He deserves better."  
  
"Asuka, and myself, are both in charge of our own Retrieval squads. Every morning we scramble before dawn, and head out, waiting for people like you to come back."  
  
"How has she handled all of this?"  
  
"She's the invincible Asuka Langley Soryu. Nothing affects her, you know?" Shinji sighed, drawing a concerned look from his friend. Shinji noticed Kensuke's look and waved him off. "It's nothing, you know. I just have to accept it. At least we don't live together anymore. I've got my own place, pretty nice too. Used to belong to a Colonel, so it's big, with lots of room, a huge TV, game center, and lots of other stuff. One of the first things Kaji helped me do after he came back was to get a pool table from town and put it in my living room."  
  
"Wow, I can't wait to see it,' Kensuke said. "Speaking of homes, where will Toji and I be staying?"  
  
"Well, I was hoping that you'd stay with me for a while, until we find a place for the two of you to stay by yourselves, unless you decide to stay and live with me?"  
  
"Hey, that might be cool. You me and Toji, living together; it'll be like we're the three musketeers."  
  
"More like the three Stooges," Asuka sniped, over-hearing Kensuke.  
  
"And where are you staying Hikari-Chan," Toji asked his girlfriend.  
  
"Oh, I live together with my little sister, Nazomi, at Asuka's, it's a really great house. It's got a huge kitchen, a piano, and a huge deck with a hot tub," Hikari said. "And it's right next to Shinji's so you won't have far to go if you want to visit me."  
  
'They live next door to each other? I'd have thought Asuka would want to be as far from Shinji as she could get. What gives?" Kensuke Aida thought to himself.  
  
"Hey Ikari, does your place have a hot-tub?" Toji asked.  
  
"Well, no, actually it doesn't, but that doesn't mean we can't go get one," Shinji said.  
  
"Great, make sure to put that on your list of things to do immediately," Toji ordered.  
  
"Yes Sir, Mister Suzuhara, Sir!" Shinji said, snapping a salute.  
  
The five friends laughed.  
  
"Anyhow, I was about to tell you guys, that you came back just in time," Hikari said.  
  
"Really? How so?" Kensuke asked.  
  
"Misato and Kaji silly. They're getting married A week from Saturday," she answered.  
  
"And today is?" Kensuke prompted.  
  
"Tuesday," Shinji said. "And you'll never guess who's gonna be best man?"  
  
"Not YOU?" Kensuke asked incredulously.  
  
"Yup, and Doctor Akagi is the Maid of Honor, and Professor Fuyutsuki is performing the ceremony."  
  
"Wow, well, things certainly have changed. I'd have never though Misato would settle down," Toji said.  
  
"Lots of things change when you die and come back to life," Shinji said. "Most of us have dropped the emotional baggage that has held us back all our lives, and we're now more honest and open people."  
  
"Everyone except good old Shinji here that is," Asuka sneered, "He's still as boring and introverted as ever."  
  
'I bet if you'd let him, Asuka, Shinji might have something to tell you,' Kensuke thought quietly, 'but you'd probably just browbeat him back into his shell, just like you're doing now.' Kensuke noticed that Shinji was indeed pulling back away from the abrasive Asuka, and seemed to be trying to get out of her line of sight.  
  
Meanwhile, Hikari was also having thoughts about her friend. 'Oh Asuka, why can't you just let go of YOUR baggage. I keep trying to get you to talk to Shinji, but you're just so stubborn."  
  
The five friends continued to talk about their new lives, old memories, and friends who had yet to, and might never return to the world of the living. It was the wee hours of the morning when the shuttle bus dropped Shinji, Kensuke, and Toji, at Shinji's new place. The three tumbled into his house, and Shinji directed them to the two bedrooms where Futons awaited them, already made up with covers.  
  
"Jeez Shinji, when'd you have time to get the beds made up?" Toji asked with a yawn.  
  
"Oh, about two months ago. Right after I moved in," he said with a tired grin. "I knew you guys would come back sooner or later. Anyhow, I'm on duty in 3 hours, so I gotta crash. 'Night."  
  
"Goodnight Shinji," both boys said, and headed off to their own beds.  
  
When the two boys awoke the next morning the sun was shining brightly overhead, and Shinji was gone.  
  
They walked downstairs, through the entertainment room, past the pool table, and into the dining room. There was a small note hanging from a chandelier over the large oak table.  
  
"Dear Guys,  
  
Had duty this morning, so I won't be back until around 3 o'clock. There's plenty of food in the fridge and pantry for your lunch or snacks, and I made breakfast for you. It's in the fridge on the top shelf.  
  
Shinji"  
  
Toji opened the refrigerator and looked at the food. In a series of glass containers were several breakfast items. Toji pulled the first one out, and looked at it. Soft rice. The next one had Miso Soup in it.  
  
'Ugh,' he thought, 'who'd eat this junk?'  
  
"Wow, Miso soup," Aida said, taking the two dishes from Suzuhara, and popping them into the microwave.  
  
"You actually eat that junk?" he asked.  
  
"Of course, it's a traditional breakfast. Why? What do you like?" Kensuke asked.  
  
"This," he said, pointing to the two dishes he'd pulled out of the refrigerator for himself. One contained scrambled eggs, and the second had a large ham slice and four link sausages.  
  
"Kinda heavy," Kensuke commented.  
  
"No it's just filling."  
  
"Whatever you want to clog your arteries with is your business I guess."  
  
The two finished heating their dishes and moved back into the dining room, choosing to sit at the bar overlooking the kitchen, rather than the dining room table.  
  
"So," Toji said, "Now what?"  
  
"I don't know, I don't remember Shinji saying exactly what it is we were supposed to do now. I guess we just relax and take it easy until Shinji gets home, then we'll find out from him what's going on," Kensuke said.  
  
"Sounds good to me. I think I saw an HDTV with MY name on it," he said, getting up and putting his dishes in the sink. He walked out into the entertainment room, and was quickly joined by Kensuke. The two boys spent the remainder of the day playing games, and waiting for their friend to come home. Hikari came over a little after noon, escorting her little sister.  
  
"Well, we don't have schools anymore, so I'm home schooling her, until we can find something we want to do. We finished out lessons for the day, so I figured I'd come over and check up on you two."  
  
"Thanks for coming over Hikari-chan, Aida and I were kind of at a loss for what else to do," Toji said.  
  
Hikari blushed at the loving tone in Suzuhara's voice.  
  
"No problem. Toji-chan," and Hikari's little sister giggled at her big sister. Glaring at her to shut her up, she turned back to Toji and Kensuke. "So, would you boys like lunch?"  
  
"Would we ever," Toji said.  
  
"Yeah, that would be great," Kensuke said.  
  
"Okay, well get cleaned up, set the table, and I'll have something ready in about 20 minutes, alright."  
  
It took Toji and Kensuke about ten minutes to get the table set, mostly because they weren't familiar with the layout of the cabinets in Shinji's kitchen. Hikari, however, seemed to know where everything was, and was almost done with their lunch. Toji came in and sampled a bit of the cooking, and she had to shoo him out before he could make a nuisance of himself.  
  
She finished up the cooking, and brought out the wok, placing it on the stand in the middle of the table. Toji took the serving spoon, and dished up the chicken and soba for everyone else, before serving himself. They ate a pleasant meal, talking and laughing, and remembering the times they'd had back in Tokyo-3.  
  
After lunch, they cleaned their dishes, and went back to the Entertainment Room, and sat around watching the younger Horaki sister play 'Mario Forever' on one of the game systems.  
  
"So how long have you and your sister been here Hikari?" Kensuke asked.  
  
"Almost 2 months. We awoke a couple days before Shinji moved in here in fact."  
  
"Really. Where was Asuka at the time?" Kensuke asked.  
  
"Oh, she and Shinji had been sharing a condo in the VOQ. (Visiting Officers Quarters) After my sister and I showed up, Shinji insisted on moving out, so that Asuka and I could live together. I tried to tell him it wasn't necessary, but he insisted. I guess that he'd had his eyes on this place for a couple weeks, but hadn't found a way to tell Asuka he didn't want to live in the VOQ anymore. She seemed quite comfortable there. The thing is, that once Shinji said he was moving out, Asuka got real depressed. She wouldn't show it to anyone else, but she seemed really upset by it, know what I mean."  
  
Both boys nodded, finding it hard to believe the ice queen could be depressed by anything Shinji did. Disgusted and pissed off, yes, depressed no.  
  
"Anyhow, I offered to help Shinji move his stuff in here. He really didn't have a lot yet, but I thought it would be good to help. When we got here, I realized that of course there were other houses nearby, so I suggested to Asuka that we pick one she might like. She didn't even look our place over before she chose it."  
  
"Wow," Kensuke said, impressed.  
  
Hikari giggled, "You want to know something funny? But if I tell you, you can't say a word of it to Shinji or Asuka. Well, it was about a week after we'd moved in before I realized that the bedroom Asuka had chosen faced Shinji's house, and that Shinji's bedroom was the closest to us. One night I was out taking a walk around the block after Nazomi had gone to bed, and I saw it."  
  
"Saw what?" Kensuke asked, excitedly.  
  
"There was Asuka, standing out on her balcony, all her lights off, looking over at Shinji's. When I looked over at Shinji's house, I could see him through the large French doors that open onto his balcony. His doors were closed and his lights were on, and there he was, in just his boxers, playing his cello."  
  
"He's still playing?" Kensuke asked.  
  
"Yeah. Anyway, so I walked over under Asuka's window, and quietly listened. He was playing the most beautiful song I'd ever heard, but he wasn't using any sheet music. He played for more than half an hour, before finally laying down his bow, and putting the cello in the stand. Asuka quietly went into her room, shut her doors and went to sleep. Well the next day I told Shinji I'd heard him playing his Cello, and wanted to know what the song was. And do you know what he said? He said it was just something he'd made up, and that it expressed all his feelings and emotions about someone he really cared about."  
  
"Like you wouldn't know who he was talking about?" Toji said.  
  
"Really," she grinned.  
  
"But that's not the best part. Want to see what I found when I was cleaning his house a couple weeks later?"  
  
Both boys nodded.  
  
She motioned them to follow her, and they quickly ascended the staircase, and entered Shinji's room. There in the corner was his Cello, and on the desk were spread out several sheets of oddly lined paper.  
  
"Oh, he's left it out, he must have been working on it recently. Look," she said, holding up the papers, which Kensuke recognized as sheet music. On the top of the first page was the title "Ode to Asuka, in d major."  
  
"Oh yeah, he's got it bad alright," Kensuke said.  
  
"For the ice queen? Seriously? That's sick, I wondered when that happened?" Toji said.  
  
"Well, they were alone here for quite a while, after they woke up," Kensuke said.  
  
"Actually it was a long time before that. Remember when they had to do those synchronization drills to fight that weird angel? Well I remember Asuka telling me that Shinji tried to kiss her on their last night of training."  
  
"Wow, almost a year ago, and he didn't say a thing? Talk about closed off," Kensuke said.  
  
"Well, not so much any more. You haven't had a chance to see much, but he's actually changed quite a bit. For one thing, he's not running around apologizing for everything any more," Hikari said.  
  
"And Asuka?" Toji asked.  
  
"Well, she's changed outwardly very little, but there are some things. For instance, she actually enjoys spending time with Shinji, but only when no one else is looking. As soon as she notices someone, she immediately becomes what you two quaintly refer to as the Ice Queen."  
  
"Poor Shinji," Kensuke said.  
  
Hikari shifted her head, listening. "Quick, Shinji's home, we've got to get out of here," she said, rushing them out of the bedroom, and back downstairs to where her sister was still playing games.  
  
They had just relaxed into their seats when Shinji walked in the front door. He was dressed in a black leather pants and jacket, and was holding a black motorcycle helmet.  
  
"Whoa, Ikari, is that really you?" Toji asked.  
  
"Oh, that's right, you two haven't seen Shinji's bike, come on. Shinji, show us your motorcycle will you?" Hikari said.  
  
"Uh, sure, Hikari, Hey guys, just let me hang this stuff up,' he said, stripping off his jacket, and unzipping the legs of his pants so he could take them off. He was still wearing his NERV pilot's jumpsuit underneath everything. Running his hand through his damp hair, put his riding gear in the hall closet, and turned to lead the others outside. There, parked in the driveway was the most beautiful motorcycle Toji or Kensuke had ever seen. Sleek, streamlined, and built for speed its black and gold lines seemed to scream power.  
  
"Whoa, Shinji, where did you get this?" Kensuke asked.  
  
"Asuka and I found it the day we woke up. We needed transportation, and since neither of us knew how to drive a car at the time, we took this. Asuka has her own car now, but I kept this. It suits me."  
  
Kensuke and Toji stared at him. An incredible motorcycle like THIS suited SHINJI IKARI?  
  
"I told you he's changed," Hikari whispered to them.  
  
Just then the sound of a powerful engine could be heard coming down the street, revving hard. A bright red blur and the sound of squealing brakes heralded the arrival of a shiny new BMW sports car in the driveway next door. The door opened and slammed shut, and Asuka stormed across the intervening yard, radiating irritation.  
  
'SHINJI IKARI! WHAT THE HELL WERE YOU THINKING! DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA WHAT WOULD HAPPEN TO YOU IF YOU WERE TO WRECK THAT THING GOING THAT FAST?"  
  
"Yeah, Asuka, I'd lose the race, and you'd beat me home for the first time since you got your car," Shinji grinned.  
  
'THAT is not Shinji Ikari,' thought Kensuke Aida.  
  
'Whoa! Normally Shinji'd be apologizing for even breathing if Asuka were yelling at him like this,' Toji Suzuhara thought.  
  
Hikari, however was laughing, and managed to finally gasp out, "How much of a head start did she have Shinji?"  
  
"Almost four minutes, I passed her coming through the roundabout in front of the Commissary."  
  
"How fast were you going at the time Ikari?" Toji asked.  
  
"About two hundred kph. I had to slow down a little, so I could make the corner."  
  
Toji goggled, "an how fast were you going before THAT?"  
  
"About three hundred and fifteen."  
  
"That's incredible!" Kensuke exclaimed.  
  
"No, that's an average day," Hikari said.  
  
"He still could have killed himself," Asuka grumped.  
  
"You never complained when we used to ride together," Shinji commented.  
  
"Oh! You! How dare you!" Asuka fumed, storming off to her house.  
  
"She's only upset because you're right," Hikari grinned.  
  
Shinji smiled and said, "Lets go back inside. I need to get out of this uniform, and take a shower."  
  
They headed back into the house, and Shinji went upstairs to change and shower.  
  
'Well today has certainly been a revelation,' Kensuke Aida thought as he watched his friend go upstairs. 'I wonder what's next.'  
  
Next on Episode 2:05 of Neon Genesis Evangelion the friends share an evening together, and Toji and Kensuke spend the next few days getting used to their new lives. Shinji's Birthday arrives, and everyone gathers to celebrate, while preparations are underway for the Wedding they've all been waiting for.  
  
It's Evangelion Episode 2:05 Beginnings, Birthdays, and Bombshells. 


	5. Episode 2:05

Disclaimer: Neon Genesis Evangelion is Owned by Gainax. Buy the DVD's of the Series and the Movies from them. I did, and it was worth every dime. I don't own anything except my DVD's, and this is done for my own satisfaction.  
  
Episode 2:05 Beginnings, Birthdays, and Bombshells  
  
Takes place after 1st season, and the End of Evangelion Movie.  
  
Presumed dates are Tuesday May 31st, Thursday June 2nd, and Monday June 6th  
  
Shinji came downstairs after his shower, wearing a loose shirt and a pair of sweatpants, his towel draped casually around his neck. Kensuke and Toji were in the middle of a game of pool, and, from the looks of the table, Toji was getting beat badly.  
  
"Toji, what's up, I thought you were good at this kind of thing?" Shinji asked.  
  
"I am, but the wunderkind here is some kinda prodigy. I've never seen anything like it," Toji complained.  
  
"Ha, there's another one, Toji," Kensuke said, as another solid colored ball dropped into a pocket. He moved around the table, pointed to a side pocket, and dropped the 8-ball into it in one shot. "And that's game, old man. Hey Shinji. It's really not that hard, its basic geometry"  
  
"Whatever you say, Kensuke," Shinji said, rubbing his head with his towel to dry his hair. "Hikari still here?" he asked, seeing the girls sister still playing the game on his tv.  
  
"I'm here Shinji," he heard her call from the kitchen.  
  
"You're not cooking in my Kitchen are you?"  
  
"Of course I am. It's the least I can do. You have enough to deal with, working in the recovery teams, let someone else cook tonight."  
  
"Uh, do you want some help?"  
  
"Sure Shinji. I've made some Mu Shu Pork, and some Ramen. Could you get some small plates out, and set this on the bar?"  
  
"Sure thing Hikari," he said. He went over and did as she asked, setting the items out. He also got a couple small bowls, which he filled with Ramen, and made up a small plate of the pork. Carrying them over to the Nazomi, he set it within reach and retreated. The younger girl pounced upon the food, hardly loosing pace with the game on the screen, and was soon pushing the plate away with her feet. Shinji walked over and picked up the plate and took it back into the kitchen, washing it, and placing it in a rack to dry.  
  
Nazomi paused her game long enough to eat the Ramen, and ran to the kitchen to get a soda. Bolting her ramen, she handed Shinji the bowl, saying "Thank you Uncle Shinji," before going back to her game.  
  
Toji laughed, "You could loose a finger in there. Watch out 'Uncle Shinji' I think she want some more."  
  
"Oh yeah, Toji? Just wait, it's gonna be 'Daddy' or 'Brother' Toji the next time you turn around."  
  
Toji sighed, "Yeah, well, that's one of the perks of being involved with Hikari." He grinned evilly at Shinji.  
  
All three young men laughed.  
  
"Oh, hey, I have something for you guys. Hang on, I need to go out to my bike,' Shinji said, walking out to his motorcycle. A couple minutes later he came back in, holding a small leather satchel. Flopping down on the couch, he tossed open the flap, and extracted two small items and two large folders. He glanced at the four items, and separated them, handing Toji and Kensuke.  
  
"Here's your cell phones, and some paperwork we give to all new arrivals. The phones will keep you in touch, and the paperwork will let you decide what kind of training you can take. I should have given them too you yesterday, but the party kinda distracted me."  
  
"Yeah, that was some welcome back party," Toji said.  
  
"You said it, that was great," Kensuke agreed.  
  
"Probably the best we've had yet," Shinji agreed. Although he didn't think it was really all that great; he'd not been able to spend as much time with Asuka as he normally did at such functions. In fact, Asuka hadn't spoken but a few words to him the last 36 hours. That wasn't like her, but then, she had been resuming old habits lately, so he really shouldn't be too surprised.  
  
When they'd first arrived here, she'd seemed grateful for his presence and they had spent many nights together. Not like boyfriend and girlfriend, but more like family. He couldn't remember the last time he'd felt so comfortable, and content. They'd talked, and explored, and life had been wonderful. Then the Awakened had started to show up, and slowly, ever so slowly, his Asuka had drifted away. Hikari's arrival had actually improved things at the same time it had worsened them.  
  
Asuka had stopped being so withdrawn, but she was now opening up for Hikari the way she had opened up for him. And with the confidence of her girlfriend, she no longer needed to spend as much time visiting with Shinji. He sighed inwardly at the loss, unable to come up with a way to reverse the return to status quo for Asuka.  
  
"Shinji, you want to call Asuka, and tell her that dinner is ready, and she could come on over?" Hikari called.  
  
"Sure thing," Shinji said, glad of any excuse to call Asuka. He picked up his cell, and punched the first number that popped up on his speed dial.  
  
"What do YOU want Baka?" Asuka asked flippantly.  
  
"Hikari says dinner is ready and you should come over."  
  
"I'll be there in a minute," and she disconnected without saying goodbye or anything.  
  
"Goodbye Asuka," he said to the dead air, and closed his phone.  
  
Hikari noted the crestfallen look on his face, but didn't say anything.  
  
A couple minutes later Asuka walked through the front door, snorted at the three guys, and continued on into the kitchen to Hikari. Shinji couldn't hear what they were talking about, but Asuka's snide tone led him to believe it was his antics with the bike. She'd spent a lot of time lately criticizing him, loudly and repeatedly the last couple weeks in fact.  
  
Shinji looked up at the sound of dishes being set on the table. Hikari was bringing dinner in to the dining room. Shinji got up and walked into the kitchen, gathering plates, chop sticks, tea and cups. Returning to the dining room, he set places for all of them, including Nazomi, who he knew would not likely come away to the table to eat, preferring to snack in front of the tv.  
  
"Hey you guys, dinner's ready," Hikari called. Toji and Kensuke rushed to the table, and flopped into their seats. Shinji sat down at the head of he table, and Asuka assumed her usual place at the far end of the table from him. Hikari sat down, and began moving the plates around the table until everyone had been served.  
  
Dinner started and ended pleasantly, all of them talking about memories of their past in Tokyo-3, and Toji and Suzuhara caught up on their friends recent past. Asuka was mostly silent, except for the occasional snide comment. Shinji sighed.  
  
'I'm sorry, Asuka,' he thought, 'I wish I knew how to make you happy."  
  
Dinner finished, Shinji helped Hikari clear the dishes, and put away the few leftovers that there were. They returned from the kitchen, and joined Toji, Suzuhara, and Hikari's sister in the entertainment room.  
  
"Where's Asuka?" Shinji asked.  
  
"She's gone dude. Headed home by the looks of it," Toji said.  
  
Shinji sighed. Well if she wanted to be alone, he guessed that was okay. He spent the next several hours talking with Hikari to Kensuke and Toji, answering as many of their questions as he could.  
  
"Really, there's a lot that you can do. The packets I gave you have a list of all the things you can train to do, or positions you can fill immediately with minor introduction," Shinji told them.  
  
"What do we get paid for all this?" Toji asked.  
  
Shinji laughed. "Well we haven't started using money again, really, so nothing. We were too worried with survival to think about charging anyone for their service. As for your needs, almost everything can be met pretty easily. We have teams that are scouring Nagoya-2 for usable items, and things that people put on their 'want' lists. When the guys find the stuff you want, they either drop it off for you, or leave it at the Central Stores Warehouse, where you can pick it up later."  
  
"Basically we're all doing what we can just to make sure we can survive. And it's going pretty well. Think about it guys, we're 3,000 people living off the remains of a city of 3 million. There's plenty of canned, and frozen food, and we're all planting gardens, so we'll have fresh vegetables. There's even a small group of farmers who've gone out to some of the neighboring farms, and started growing crops. We've got acres and acres of fields producing rice, and other foods; its probably much more food that we'll need for quite some time. But the machines still work, so we can harvest grain and tend the fields without huge demands in manual labor, and the orchards and berry patches are producing without very much tending at all."  
  
"Sounds like a paradise," Toji remarked.  
  
"Except for all the people. Does anyone know why not everyone has come back?" Kensuke asked.  
  
"Well, Doctor Akagi thinks that what we at first called the Egg of Lilith is actually the Guff."  
  
"What's that?"  
  
"According to legend, the Guff is the place where all human souls come from. Ritsuko thinks that with the Guff re-filled, the souls that are there are content to remain, until they are needed on earth by the creation of a new life."  
  
"Okay, but why did we all return to the Guff?"  
  
"Seele thought that with Third Impact, they could unite all humanity in one form, and re-unite with god. Possibly even taking over. But it looks like god didn't want us," Shinji shrugged.  
  
"That, and Shinji didn't want to unite with god," Hikari said, poking Shinji.  
  
"Hikari," Shinji whined.  
  
"Come on Shinji, you know that that's what Ritsuko and Professor Fuyutuski said. At the moment of unification, YOU were offered the choice, return to the creator, or return to a mortal life, full of all the joys and pains. You chose mortality."  
  
Shinji blushed. He'd heard this line of reasoning before, and, though he wasn't sure that it was wrong, he was still uncomfortable with it.  
  
"Well I hate to be a party pooper, but I've got duty again tomorrow, so I need to go up to bed. Do you guys mind if I play some music before I go to sleep? It always relaxes me."  
  
"No Shinji go right ahead, I've gotta get the Nazomi home and into bed anyway, Goodnight," and with that Hikari gathered her sister, who pouted about going home, and kissed Suzuhara on the cheek before rushing out the door.  
  
"Mmm. Night guys," Shinji said, and ascended the stairs. Toji sat with Kensuke, and both of them suddenly jumped for the video game console. Picking up the controls, they scrolled through the list of games, and finally chose a first person shooter game, and began hunting aliens across a desolate moon.  
  
They were in the process of attacking a swarm of the aliens in a well- defended structure, when the first notes of Shinji's Cello began to swell through the house. Both of them stopped playing, and turned off the game.  
  
"Wow," Kensuke whispered.  
  
"Yeah," Toji agreed.  
  
The music started soft and built to crescendo, but it didn't stop, there were periods of brief, peaceful notes, and then stretches of intense sound, pouring from the Cello. The front door opened softly, and Hikari came through the door.  
  
"Nazomi's in bed, and Asuka's gone for a walk or something. I thought I'd come over and see if you'd like to take a walk with me Suzuhara."  
  
"I'd love to. You don't mind Kensuke old man?" he asked.  
  
"No, you two go right ahead. I'm gonna stay here and listen to the music."  
  
The two teens let themselves out the front door, both grinning madly at one another, and Kensuke turned off all the lights downstairs, except one that lit the entryway, and sat down on the couch to listen.  
  
Shinji was really pouring himself into the music now, and the peaks and valleys weaved an intricate melody, that stirred Kensuke Aida's imagination. He could almost see the images that Shinji was trying to convey through the song. Two notes played in harmony , on two separate strings, something that was no easy feat for even experienced players to master, had him imagining the time that Shinji and Asuka had to train for a joint attack on an angel. Another run up and down the scale, and he was remembering the giant spider angel, that had attacked NERV, and the story Shinji had told him of Asuka's bravery, placing herself between him and the Angels acid attack, so Shinji could get off the killing shot. He lay back and enjoyed the rest of the song.  
  
"So where are we going to walk?" Toji asked Hikari as they left the house.  
  
"Not far. I just wanted to walk with you while Shinji plays. Oh, look, he's left his French Doors open, so we should be able to hear it as we walk around. This block has really good acoustics, and on nights like this you can hear him play for a couple hundred yards in any direction.  
  
Not really someone who appreciated music like this, Toji nonetheless listened. He had to admit that Ikari was actually pretty good on his cello. The music, though, was having a profound effect on Hikari.  
  
"Do you hear that Toji, can you feel the raw emotion that he's put into it? It's almost like he's telling her how much his love is growing for her with every bar. Then there's this part. I think this is where he's telling her about how angry she was, and then there's this sad part, almost like she's broken his heart. That part actually repeats several times throughout the song, always a little less angry, and a little less sad. But then there's this sad despairing part here. It's almost as if this is how he remembers the death of Kaoru, and the discovery of Asuka in the ruins of my old house back in Tokyo-3."  
  
Toji listened, and, even to his untrained ear, it did indeed sound sad and mournful. As a series of long hollow notes sounded out, Toji could sense the end of everything, and the total despair that Shinji had felt. Then there's a rise in the beat, and the tempo gradually picks up and soon the music is booming across the yard behind Hikari and Asuka's house.  
  
"Asuka's final battle with the Angels," Toji whispered.  
  
"That's exactly what I thought, now shush," she shushed him with a finger to his lips. Suddenly the music stopped, and when it started again, it was soft and mournful, and then sharp and dissonant.  
  
Hikari swung herself into his arms, and looked up at him, tears glistening in her eyes.  
  
"Suzuhara-chan," she whispered, emotion raw in her throat.  
  
"Hikari-chan," he answered, bending over.  
  
Softly their lips touched as Shinji played on.  
  
The emotion of seeing Unit-02 destroyed by Seele's production EVA's strong in his mind. The terror of believing the woman he was beginning to love was dead, stealing all sanity and rational thought from him. His desire to end it all, to destroy the EVA's, and Seele, and NERV, and the Earth itself, consuming him. And then the Cello screamed his pain and agony, as he had, in the plug of Unit-01 gone mad, and those terrible wings had opened. His capture by the EVA's, Rei/Liliths appearance, seeing Kaoru again, surrendering to emptiness, and then, at the last moment, refusing to go. To become one with all of mankind, and with god, and the universe. Then the music sounded as if waves were crashing upon a beach, and there was a minor building, and another dissonance, but at the same time melancholy, finding Asuka beside him, trying to choke her, but stopping himself. Then sleeping, and awakening to the hidden joy of Asuka beside him again.  
  
As these final happy notes faded into silence, Hikari and Toji broke their kiss, and continued walking around the block. Shinji, through with his song, put up his cello, turned off his lights and climbed into bed. He lay there staring at the ceiling until he finally fell asleep.  
  
"Hey, wanna see the Jacuzzi?" Hikari asked, with a mischievous grin.  
  
"Uh, sure. After all, if we're gonna get one too, I should have an idea what I want to get," Toji replied.  
  
They walked around the side of the house towards the back, when Toji began hearing the soft bubbling sound of the water in the hot tub. Hikari smiled up and him, and then started, her smile fading. She stopped walking, just short of the first step leading up to a large deck, and the concealed hot tub. When he went to ask her what was up, she placed a finger to his lips and then cupped her ear, indicating that he should listen. Barely audible over the slapping water, was the soft sound of someone weeping.  
  
"Asuka," Hikari whispered, taking Toji by the hand again, and leading him back to the front of the house, treading softly so as not to betray their presence. Quickly they walked to the front of his house, and sat down on the porch swing. Hikari leaned into him, and he wrapped an arm over her shoulders.  
  
"I'm glad you told me how you feel about me Hikari. It gave me the strength to tell you that I love you too," Toji said.  
  
"Me too. I know, after I woke up, it's almost all I could think about, for weeks. Then, when Shinji called in to report that the two survivors he was about to pick up were you and Kensuke, I knew my chance had come at last," Hikari answered, snuggling in close.  
  
"I wish Shinji could have that," he said.  
  
"I wish Asuka could give it to him," She replied.  
  
"Why do you think she can't?" he said.  
  
"What? No demon or ice queen accusations to explain away her behavior?" Hikari asked.  
  
"No Hikari. This is just the two of us. I don't have to pretend to be cool, I can just be myself, and I'm worried for Shinji," he answered.  
  
"Well, I've suspected for a long time, even before the Awakening, that Asuka loved Shinji and He loved Her, but he's too scared of being hurt by those he loves to let someone he MIGHT love know his feelings. Fear of rejection, if he cares too deeply, he gets hurt when the person he loves doesn't return his feelings."  
  
"I know that," Toji said, "I'm asking about Asuka."  
  
"Well, it's pretty much the same. She was the one who found her mothers body, but she watched her mother go steadily mad after some incident with Unit-02. Asuka eventually decided that she didn't need anyone. Physically, mentally, or emotionally, she thinks she's strong enough to satisfy all her own needs, so she never lets anyone in, and that makes for a very emotionally isolated young woman."  
  
"Well, I hope that they can work out their problems, I'd hate for them to keep being miserable around each other," he said.  
  
Hikari snuggled up to Toji a little more, and turned to face him.  
  
"Well, I think we have plenty of time ahead of us to discuss all of Asuka and Shinji's problems. I'd like to experience some of the benefits of us resolving our personal problems," Hikari said.  
  
"I believe I can help you there Hikari-chan," he said, and leaned over to cover her mouth with his. They had quickly forgotten Shinji and Asuka for the moment, as they spent time getting reacquainted.  
  
Shinji and Kaji met at the Temple the next night, so that Kaji could walk Shinji though his part in the wedding ceremony before the official practice on Saturday night.  
  
"Okay, so I give you the ring, and then Ritsuko and I follow you and Misato out of the shrine after the presentation. Then we get in the receiving line, and after that head for the reception hall. There I have to make a toast to you and Misato. Have I got that right?" Shinji asked.  
  
"You forgot one thing," Kaji said.  
  
"What's that?" Shinji looked worried and checked his notes.  
  
"When the music starts, you have to dance with Ritsuko."  
  
Shinji gulped down his heart.  
  
"Um. Kaji, I don't know how to dance."  
  
"Oh surely you've been to your school dances before?"  
  
"Well sure, but I never danced at them, and this is going to be a slow dance, and I've NEVER done that at ALL."  
  
"Okay, well, I can see we're gonna have to think quick. Hang on," said Kaji. He picked up his Cell phone, and dialed Doctor Ikagi's home number. "Ritsuko? Kaji here. Yeah, hi, I'm fine, but we have a slight problem. No no, nothing like that, it's just that Shinji can't dance, and I think it would help if you could come over here and show him a few steps. Yeah, that's right, total wallflower. Okay. You will, great, see you in ten. Alright, goodbye." He hung up the phone.  
  
"See Shinji problem solved."  
  
Shinji tried to swallow his heart back down out of his throat again, and nodded numbly.  
  
The next few days were packed with activity for Toji and Kensuke, as they adjusted to this new life. They weren't in school anymore, sure, but what they were learning was a whole lot more fun. Kensuke was learning to be a VTOL Recovery Pilot like Shinji, and Toji was studying Vehicle Maintenance.  
  
The five friends got together each day after work or class, and had dinner together, which was generally cooked by Shinji or Hikari, and sometimes both. Hikari's little sister was usually with her, but Hikari always took her home and put her to bed before the others even considered winding things down.  
  
Kensuke eventually chose a Motorcycle out of the bases extensive motor pool, but Toji was having a hard time picking out what he wanted for a vehicle.  
  
"No way, am I gonna keep riding that dang shuttle bus to class," he growled. "I just haven't found the car that I want yet."  
  
"Why not get a bike like me and Ikari," Kensuke asked.  
  
"Well, I need something that I can pack Hikari and Nazomi into."  
  
"Well then, why don't we go into a car lot in Nagoya-2 and see if we can't find something you like more," Kensuke suggested. So later that day, after Shinji got home, the three young men headed into town, looking for a car for Kensuke. It took almost three hours and five lots before Kensuke found the car he was looking for.  
  
"Isn't she beautiful?" he said, admiring the brand new two-tone Toyota 4Runner.  
  
"Yeah, but can you drive her?" Shinji asked.  
  
"Yeah, I used to drive go carts, at the entertainment park, and I'm a pro at all those racing games," Toji said confidently.  
  
"Uh, okay. Well here's the keys, take her out, but drive carefully," said Kensuke.  
  
Toji jumped behind the wheel of the car, pulled the seat up forward, put on his seatbelt, and started the engine. To prove to his friends he knew how to drive, he took the car out of the lot, and drove around the block slowly several times. Kensuke and Shinji pulled out behind him, and followed him around, until they felt they were comfortable with his driving skills, and decided to take the car back home.  
  
Although Toji couldn't go as fast as they could, they still made it back to the base in good time, and Toji pulled into the Driveway and beeped the horn, trying to get Hikari's attention. She rushed out of the house, hopped in the car, and was squealing excitedly as Toji pulled away from the house.  
  
Kensuke and Shinji watched the two of them go, and laughed.  
  
"I hope he's got enough gas," Kensuke said.  
  
"If not, he might not want to call us for a while, so we'd better go get dinner ready. Come on," Shinji laughed, and waved Kensuke inside.  
  
As usual, Shinji's house had been chosen to be the one where they would have dinner. Shinji had today off, but Asuka had to work. He made a very elaborate Japanese dinner for his friends, but decided to make something special for Asuka. Rolling out some flaky pastry dough, he filled it with ground beef and German sausage pieces, before folding thing dough over, and pinching it closed, making a hand held beef pie. He dug around in his pantry until he found some Sauerkraut, and some good German style mustard.  
  
It didn't take too long before Toji and Hikari were pulling up into the driveway outside. Shinji wasn't paying too much attention, but he thought he heard more than their two voices outside. Glancing out the front window, he saw Misato and Kaji standing in his front yard, talking to Hikari and Toji.  
  
"Misato," he called, "Kaji. What brings you two out to this neck of the woods?"  
  
"You kiddo. It's not everyday your foster son turns 15," Misato beamed.  
  
"What? Shinji, why didn't you tell us it was your birthday?" the other's all complained.  
  
"I'm sorry. I was so busy, I guess I just forgot to look at the calendar. It's not like we all don't have a hundred other things going on these days."  
  
"Well, not to worry, Kaji and I thought you might have forgotten, so we organized a little party for you."  
  
"Not another Katsuragi Party. I don't know if I can handle two in a week," Shinji moaned.  
  
Misato laughed. "It's your own fault, if you don't participate in the party planning, and then don't like the party. The first guests should be arriving soon."  
  
"Speaking of guests, could you ask Asuka to stop by the Commissary on her way home and pick up some soda, chips, and dip? We're gonna need some refreshments, if you're doing a party. I didn't cook enough food for everyone," Shinji said.  
  
"Isn't she here?" Misato asked.  
  
"Um. No, I thought she had work today," Shinji said.  
  
"Nope, I knew today was your birthday, so I scheduled both of you to have it off," Misato said with a sly wink.  
  
"Well, where is she, she left here first thing this morning, after we had breakfast," Shinji said.  
  
"Ikari, you dog. You had breakfast with Asuka this morning and didn't say anything?" Toji teased.  
  
"Well, yeah, we always eat breakfast together, even on days when the other one is off duty. Asuka even cooks for me on her days off," Shinji admitted with a blush.  
  
"But that means that you were up cooking before 5 am," Kensuke observed.  
  
Toji, looked down at Hikari, and whispered to her, "Did you know that they had breakfast every morning?"  
  
"No," she answered, "I knew about the mornings they both had to work, but I didn't know they still did it on their days off. And on her days off Asuka cooks for him? Maybe there's hope for them yet," she giggled.  
  
"Sit, birthday boy, no more working for you," Misato said, motioning him into one of the chairs on the front porch.  
  
Shinji recognized her command voice, and sat as instructed. Within half an hour the party guests had begun to arrive, and Misato was in full swing as honorary hostess.  
  
"You know Shinji, you've got a great house, but your back porch could use a little bit of work," Kaji observed.  
  
"Yeah," Said Shinji, "Now that Kensuke and Toji are here, maybe we can get someone to help us tackle that project. Maybe make a deck and install that Jacuzzi tub that I've been talking to you about."  
  
"Oh, I think we can do better than that," Kaji observed, flipping open his cell phone, and dialing a number. "Okay, you can bring it in."  
  
"Kaji, what are you doing?" Shinji asked.  
  
"Oh, this isn't my idea, I just had to make sure you were ready."  
  
"Ready for what?" Shinji asked warily.  
  
Kaji just grinned and pointed at the rapidly approaching craft. It was a UN VTOL Cargo Lifter. Suspended beneath it by several steel cables was a large pallet covered with construction material of some kind. It looked to Shinji like lumber. Kaji continued to give the pilot directions until they were right over the house.  
  
"Whoa. Kaji, what's all this for?" Shinji asked.  
  
"It's for your new deck," he answered. "Asuka convinced all the guys in maintenance to come over and hold a building blitz here this afternoon. By this afternoon, the deck of your dreams will stand here. Okay Asuka, everybody's clear, drop it down."  
  
Shinji watched as Asuka piloted the VTOL down low, until it was hovering a bare 100 feet off the ground, the downwash from the powerful engines causing the pallet to move slightly in the powerful wind. Several men positioned themselves around the material, as Asuka lowered it the last few feet to the ground. When the pallet was finally down and in place, the helpers disconnected the cables and Kaji told Asuka to go ahead and take the Cargo Lifter back to the base. Several of the guys from the airfield started showing up, then, with hammers and drills and screws, and soon a flurry of construction was taking place outside of Shinji's back door.  
  
Kaji walked over and picked up several pieces of grass sod that covered concrete footings that had been poured into the ground.  
  
"When did you put those in?" Shinji asked.  
  
"A couple days ago. Asuka and Misato made sure you were out of the house for a while and I had a couple guys come help me dig the holes and pour the concrete. It should be cured by now, so we can attach the deck. Sit back and relax Shinji, we'll get this all done in no time," Kaji said.  
  
Seeing everyone busy working on his new deck, Shinji slipped through the back door into the house, and grabbed his helmet and jacket off their pegs in the closet, and headed out to his bike. Before anyone had noticed, he was cruising down the road, headed for the airfield.  
  
As he came over the last small hill overlooking the NERV airfield, he could see Asuka's BMW in the parking lot, and the VTOL Cargo Lifter just setting down in it's landing spot. Racing through the open gate, and onto the tarmac, he pulled the bike up to the VTOL as she jumped out.  
  
"Get on," he shouted, tossing her his spare helmet from the rear saddle bag.  
  
"I can drive," she said, holding out the helmet for him.  
  
"Not tonight, you aren't, you're gonna get chauffeured home for this one, and I'll even give you a ride back in tomorrow."  
  
Asuka grinned, "So I take it you were surprised?"  
  
"That's an understatement. I thought I was going to have to do all that work by myself," he said, motioning to her helmet. She gave in, and pulled the helmet on, climbing on behind him. He expected her to lean back in the reclined seat, but instead she leaned forward, wrapping her arms around his chest. He enjoyed having her this close, and decided to go home at a more respectable speed, the better to prolong their physical contact.  
  
Almost half an hour later they pulled up the driveway of Shinji's place, and were greeted by a slightly miffed Misato and company.  
  
"You just vanished," Misato said. "What kind of party is it where the guest of honor just disappears for a half hour at a time."  
  
Shinji grinned. "Sorry, Misato, I promise to never to this again, until the next time I decide to do it."  
  
Misato looked pleased at the first part of his apology, but the became outraged by the second half. "Oh, you, that's it. Kaji, this boys deserving of 15 spanks, I believe the tradition says, so start beating."  
  
"Hmm. I don't think so Katsuragi, if you want to enjoy the site of Shinji being spanked you're gonna have to do it yourself. You pervert," he said.  
  
Misato looked huffily at her fiancée, and then thought better of it, when she noticed that Asuka was still sitting behind Shinji, arms draped over his shoulders.  
  
"Well come on, then, you two, let's go ahead and get back to the party," She said, leading the way. Asuka and Shinji climbed off the bike, and went to hang up their gear. Shinji walked out the back door, and discovered that the deck was already finished. There were even two wooden picnic tables positioned on it, and these were covered in food, with large ice chests full of drinks between them. What caught Shinji's eye though was a large yellow fire hose strung across the deck.  
  
"What's this," he asked, kicking the hose.  
  
"This is for that," Kaji said, pointing. He followed Kaji's gaze, and saw a large Jacuzzi tub filling at the far end of the deck. There were some lattice walls built out from the Jacuzzi edge about 4 feet all the way around, and it was topped with a pagoda style roof.  
  
"You guys work fast," Shinji said.  
  
"Misato had the hot tub and the surround already built and loaded up on one of those trucks with a built in crane, and parked down the block. Once we'd gotten the deck bolts tied down, we brought the tub in. You should have seen the look on her face when she yelled surprise, and got one in return. You had already left."  
  
Shinji looked sheepish when he said, "Sorry Misato, really. I just wanted to give Asuka a ride home."  
  
Misato looked satisfied, "I understand Shinji, and it's quite all right. Whoa. Hey, it's overflowing." She shouted and pointed, and Kaji had to jump for the hose, as it lifted up out of the tub, and blasted water all over the pagoda structure and the whole side of Asuka and Hikari's house. Eventually the water was shut off, and Misato watched as Kaji plugged it into a large outlet on the side of he house, that Shinji was sure hadn't been there last week. Immediately the bubbles started, and an LED panel lit up, showing the current temperature.  
  
Shinji looked at the display and stuck his hand in the water. It was a bone chillingly cold 58 degrees.  
  
"Were going to run a hose out here from your kitchen Ikari, so that it heats up a little faster," Kaji said. "We'll have to drain some of this off though. Right now it's too full."  
  
"Wow, thanks. If we do that, how long do you think it will take until we can use it," Shinji asked.  
  
"Probably tomorrow at the earliest. It still won't be quite warm enough, even with all the hot water," he said.  
  
"Why don't you run hoses from my house too. That way he can use it tonight," Asuka suggested.  
  
"What a good idea Asuka, it might take a while, but if we shut the water off after the tanks empty out of hot water, we can just wait until they re- heat and run them out again. It should be filled and ready to go in about 3 hours," Kaji smiled at her.  
  
As the party wound down, in the late evening, and the guests began to depart, Shinji was sitting in his new favorite chair, on the back porch, and enjoying a cool soda. Each guest would come up, bid him goodbye, and exit back through the house, and out the front. Finally, the last of the crowd disappeared; even his roommates and next-door neighbors. Shinji sat alone next to the Jacuzzi, dipping a hand into the water, and trying to decide if he was ready to take a dip in the steaming water.  
  
"Shinji?" came a soft voice, from behind him. Startled he turned around to see Asuka in a red and while striped two-piece bathing suit.  
  
"Uh, yes Asuka?" he choked out.  
  
"Do you like your deck?"  
  
"I love it, it was a huge surprise."  
  
"Well, I can't claim all the credit. All the guys on both of our recovery teams, and both of the VTOL's maintenance crews helped build it." She grinned in the dark, "Is it warm enough to get into yet?"  
  
"Yeah, I think it is."  
  
"Shinji," she said.  
  
"Yeah Asuka?"  
  
"I got you something," she said, and held out a small package.  
  
"You didn't have to Asuka, you've done more than enough already."  
  
"No, I really wanted you to have this. Go ahead. Open it," she urged him.  
  
He shook his head slightly and opened the package. Inside was a brand new MP3 player, with the ear-buds that he liked so much, and two spare memory chips.  
  
"Asuka. How did you know?" he asked.  
  
"Oh, I remembered that you always had that SDAT player on you, but you hadn't gotten one since we woke up. I found out why. Do you have any idea how old those things are. And the tapes are impossible to find. These things are everywhere, and they have a lot more memory. Two of the sticks already have 48 hours of music on them, and I left the third blank for you to record anything you want to."  
  
Shinji didn't know what to say, so he just said what was expected. "Thanks Asuka."  
  
"So, are you going to try out this Jacuzzi or what?"  
  
"Um, well, yeah, I guess I am, it's just," he blushed, and looked at the ground.  
  
"Would you like some company?"  
  
Shinji swallowed. Hot tubbing with Asuka? How exciting/frightening.  
  
"Um, that would be great. I mean, if you want to, that is."  
  
"Dumbkopf," she said in German, swatting the end of his nose.  
  
Shinji stood up, and went to head into the house.  
  
"Where are you going?" Asuka asked.  
  
"To get my swim trunks," he said.  
  
"You don't need that, you're wearing boxers right?"  
  
"Well, yeah," he blushed.  
  
"Then just shuck out of your pants and shirt, and hop on in. Come on," she said, hooking a finger into his waist band. She giggled, and hopped into the jaccuzi.  
  
Shinji watched her slide into the water, and then did as she suggested. Following after her in nothing but his boxers. As he mounted the steps to enter the Jacuzzi he saw that Asuka was already sitting in the center of it. As he watched, she submerged herself completely, and then surfaced, wiping the hair from her face.  
  
"Come on in, slowpoke, what are you waiting for," she said, playfully.  
  
Shinji walked up the steps, sat down, and eased himself into the Jacuzzi, the warm waters covering him to his neck as he sagged down in relief.  
  
"All the way, Shinji, get it all wet."  
  
"That's okay Asuka, I really don't like to get eyes wet."  
  
"Oh no you don't," she said playfully, and, with a squeal, she lunged at him, pulling herself up out of the water, and pushing him under with her increased leverage. He surfaced spluttering and wiped the water from his face and eyes, which were now very blurry.  
  
When he finally did manage to clear his vision, Asuka was still laughing and screeching in front of him, pleased with herself. Shinji could do nothing but stare as her breasts jiggled before his face, scant inches away. It was then he remembered a lesson on 'thermal expansion' that had occurred last year.  
  
Asuka looked down at him, smiling, "Well Shinji? What do you think?"  
  
"About?" he stammered out.  
  
"About me?" she asked in a sultry voice.  
  
Shinji felt his blood pressure rising, and not from the hot water. Asuka leaned in close to him, her breasts brushing up against his arm.  
  
"Shinji?" she asked softly.  
  
'Oh jeez, Asuka how do I answer this, you've been so cold these last couple months, and now this. Did you really mean all those mean things you've said, and this is your way of apologizing, or are you just testing me,' he thought furiously.  
  
"Shinji!" she urged impatiently.  
  
"I think you're beautiful," he said, and instantly realized it wasn't the answer she was looking for.  
  
"MEN!" she growled, standing up, stepping out of the Jacuzzi, and gathering up her close. "You really know how to make a girl sick, you know that Ikari," she said, walking across the deck.  
  
"Goodnight BAKA!" she shouted as she slammed her back door, leaving Shinji alone and confused in his hot tub.  
  
Shinji sat there for several minutes, letting various excited body parts return to normal before standing up, and entering his house.  
  
"Oh well, at least she didn't notice Shinji-kun's reaction to her," he said to himself as he crawled into bed.  
  
Next on Episode 2:06 of Neon Genesis Evangelion after the lovers unite Shinji has to face one of his greatest fears, and Misato's surprise is sure to make him even more uncomfortable.  
  
It's Evangelion Episode 2:06 Dancing with an Angel. 


	6. Episode 2:06

Disclaimer: Neon Genesis Evangelion is Owned by Gainax. Buy the DVD's of the Series and the Movies from them. I did, and it was worth every dime. I don't own anything except my DVD's, and this is done for my own satisfaction.  
  
Episode 2:06 Dancing with an Angel.  
  
Takes place after 1st season, and the End of Evangelion Movie.  
  
Presumed date is Saturday June 11th, 2016  
  
Shinji stood before the full-length mirror in the Grooms dressing room at the Temple, and looked at his reflection. The tuxedo was much more comfortable than anyone could have guessed by looking at the young man wearing it. Shinji turned a little to check out how it fit, wondering if the Tails that Misato had wanted them to wear would have looked better.  
  
Kaji, however, had stood firm on that point, however, and chosen a uniquely elegant design. No ruffles, no cumber-bun, no silly looking bow ties. Instead they were wearing an elegantly tailored black suit, with white shirts and a red silk vest, printed with a paisley pattern.  
  
"Don't admire yourself too much, Shinji, let the girls do that," Kaji commented, seeing Shinji looking at himself.  
  
Shinji blushed, "Thanks Kaji, now I'm nervous again."  
  
"So, got your speech all ready?"  
  
"Yeah, I was working on it all last night. I think I've finally gotten the words down the way I want them," Shinji said, a knowing glint in his eyes. "Anyway, how soon are we supposed to be starting?"  
  
"Any minute now. In fact, I'm surprised that we haven't seen Professor Fuyutsuki, yet. He should be here getting ready too."  
  
"It's not like him to be late," Shinji commented.  
  
"No it's not. I wonder. Could Misato have needed some last minute counseling about our wedding night?" Kaji said, winking at Shinji.  
  
"Kaji. I'm 15 years old, and you've just scarred me for life, thank you for sharing that image with me," Shinji shuddered.  
  
Kaji laughed. The boy, no, young man, was certainly growing up. A year ago Shinji would have looked at the ground, blushed, and apologized. Maybe that had something to do with a little tidbit of information that Misato had shared with him not long after they'd Awakened, and been picked up by Shinji.  
  
"Oh, I don't know, I'd think that kiss Misato planted on you would have done more damage than anything I could ever say," Kaji said.  
  
Shinji went pale, remembering the kiss like it was yesterday. Only the second real kiss he'd ever had, and he was very embarrassed about it.  
  
"Kaji, I'm sorry, I..." he began, but faltered.  
  
Kaji laughed, "Don't sweat it kid. Misato and I have no secrets. I just wanted you to know that I know, and that I'm not jealous in the least."  
  
"Really Kaji, there's nothing to be jealous of. She didn't kiss me because she loved me, she kissed me to motivate me, and because she thought it was the last kindness she could do for me before she died," Shinji explained.  
  
Kaji hesitated, wanting Shinji to continue, but not wanting to press. Since they'd all Awakened, most people had remembered bits and pieces of the scenes involving the last moments before Third Impact, but Shinji and Asuka could remember everything, since they were the focal point of the energy that was unleashed.  
  
He knew today wasn't an appropriate day to discuss such things, but the young man looked like he needed someone to talk to desperately, and Kaji remembered is own awkward adolescence. He' not become the charmer he was until after Second Impact. He was about to ask Shinji to continue when there was a rap on the door.  
  
"There's Fuyutsuki now," Kaji said, opening the door.  
  
Professor Fuyutsuki, however was not the person standing there. Doctor Ritsuko Akagi was, not wearing her red gown, as had been planned, but an elegant black silk pant suit.  
  
"Ritsuko? What..." Kaji began, before Ritsuko shushed him.  
  
"Sorry, Kaji, but Misato requested this change at the last minute. My dress wasn't ready," she said, and both men knew she was lying. "So in order to keep me as part of the wedding party, she asked if I would be the one to lead the ceremony. Professor Fuyutsuki was a little upset, but after some quick explaining on Misato's part, he said that he understood. Misato found something else for him to do, anyway."  
  
"Ah. Okay, well I guess that's alright then," said Kaji.  
  
"Ready Shinji?" Ritsuko asked him.  
  
"Sure. I mean, it's not like I'm the one getting married," Shinji said. "I still have the rest of my life to look forward too," he grinned.  
  
"Keep it up Shinji, and you're going to be best man in a full body cast," Kaji said.  
  
"If you two are quite through, I think we should avoid keeping everyone waiting," Ritsuko said, motioning them to exit the room, and head into the main part of the Temple.  
  
The three of them walked down the aisle, and took their positions upon the steps, before a shrine decorated with several different sacred images from the world's religions. Shinji shuddered when he saw the cross, symbol of the crucifixion. He and Unit-01 had been crucified, and then pierced by the Lance of Longinus. His palms still bore the scars of the Stigmata. It was NOT an experience he enjoyed remembering.  
  
Kensuke and Toji were sitting out in the audience, and talking softly, mostly to avoid annoying Hikari. Officially, this was a double date, Toji being here with Hikari, and Kensuke being here with her 13 year old sister, Nazomi, but Kensuke kept telling Suzuhara that the only reason he agreed to come with the younger Horaki, was that there was no way Hikari was gonna let him live it down if he DIDN'T take her little sister to the first Wedding since the Awakenings began.  
  
"You know, I hadn't really noticed, but Ikari is taller than I remember him," Kensuke said.  
  
"Yeah, I hear yah. Being out of it for six months means we've missed a lot of changes. I asked Shinji the other night while we were doing dishes, and he said that he's grown almost 4 inches since he woke up. He's also put on some muscle. You can see it through the Tux. Must be all that working out he's been doing as part of his training. I hear Misato's really been busting his butt on the NERV obstacle course."  
  
"I can't wait. I'm supposed to start physical conditioning next month, as soon as Doctor Akagi says I'm released from light duty."  
  
"Yeah, I'm anxious to get started too. I've been swimming laps in the pool, to try and build up some stamina. But what I really want to do is hit the weights like Shinji."  
  
"Shhh, you guys, the ceremony is starting," Hikari shushed.  
  
Elegantly soft music was being piped through the music system, and the crowd turned to watch the brides procession down the aisle. First came Nazomi, Hikari's sister, dressed in a white lace dress and a basket of fake rose petals. These she scattered across the floor in front of her, and preceded down the aisle until she was feet from Ritsuko, Kaji, and Shinji. She bowed to the three of them, and then moved off to the side, getting out of the way of all the adults.  
  
The music picked up speed and increased in pomp, and the gathered crowd saw a vision in red taffeta make her way up the aisle. Asuka, clad in the gown that had been meant for Ritsuko, bore a bouquet of white flowers and babies breath before her. Blushing slightly she continued down the aisle in measured steps, coming to a stop opposite Shinji, and turning to look back at the entrance to the Temple.  
  
The music shifted, and struck a serious and solemn chord as the wedding march begin. Misato walked around the corner, and into the Temple. She was escorted down the aisle by Professor Fuyutsuki himself.  
  
'So that's why the sudden change,' Kaji thought. Then he beamed. Misato had never looked lovelier. Her face mostly hidden by the white veil she wore, and her figure shown off by the lace and silk of the dress she'd chosen. Eschewing a long train, and ball gown, she'd chosen a form fitting dress, with a simple hat and veil. In her hands, her bouquet of red and white roses were trembling slightly.  
  
'Well what do you know,' thought Shinji, 'She's nervous. Go figure.' Shinji couldn't really understand why she was so nervous. After all she'd known Kaji for years, ever since college, and they'd been a couple on again and off again for nearly that long. Still it was somehow reassuring to know that this woman could be nervous.  
  
As Misato approached the Alter, Shinji's gaze drifted back to Asuka. He was entranced. She was absolutely beautiful, standing there in that red dress. He shifted slightly as Kaji turned to face Ritsuko, holding Misato's hand in his. He was still staring at Asuka out of the corner of his eye when Kaji shook his shoulder.  
  
"The RING," he whispered hoarsely.  
  
"Oh yeah, right," Shinji said, recovering quickly, and reached into his vest pocket to retrieve the ring. He handed it to Kaji, and tried to pay attention to what Kaji and Ritsuko were saying, but he kept catching site of Asuka, and drifting off.  
  
Finally he was brought back to reality when Ritsuko announced, in a loud voice, for all to hear, "I present to you Mister and Missus Ryoji." The crowd rose to their feet with thunderous applause, and the organist began playing music again. Kaji and Misato walked gracefully down the aisle, and were about to exit the Temple when he heard a hiss to his right.  
  
"Shinji," Asuka whispered, "we're supposed to hold hands and follow them out, you idiot."  
  
"Oh, yeah, right, sorry Asuka, I was just so happy." He held out his arm for her and she linked her left arm is his right, and together they strolled out into the reception hall.  
  
Kaji and Misato were standing there in a passionate embrace, and Shinji had the urge to leave them like that, but Asuka cleared her throat. "You two. Really. Can't you wait until tonight, we have to get this reception under way."  
  
Misato broke away from Kaji, smiling. "You're not still jealous, are you Asuka?"  
  
"Of course not, I couldn't be happier right now. For you two that is," and she quickly removed her arm from Shinji's. She had been clasping his fingers with her own, and was feeling far to comfortable with the sensation.  
  
The four of them lined up at the entrance to the reception hall, and, as the guests began to filter out of the Temple, greeted them, and welcomed them to the party. Music began to play, wine, champagne, and punch were brought out. A large multi-tiered cake was featured prominently at a central table, and there were smaller tables supporting snack trays and surrounded by chairs.  
  
Shinji felt like his hand would fall off, by the time the last person drifted into the room. He'd shaken the hand of almost 400 people, and his own hand was very sore indeed. He flexed it unconsciously, harkening back to those days last year when he'd picked up the nervous tick. It hadn't reappeared since then, but now he did it as he tried to stretch his hands out.  
  
Kaji and Misato were moving up to the table with the cake on it, and, after a few jerky slices, they'd freed a piece for each of them. Shinji knew what was coming, but enjoyed it anyway. Kaji, the caring gentleman, fed his bride a piece of cake daintily. Misato, the eternal prankster, smiled devilishly, and stuffed the whole piece in Kaji's face, covering him is icing. She then proceeded to wipe it off using Kaji's own red silk handkerchief. Drinks were passed out, and Shinji glanced down at his own. It was bubbling, but the faint scent let him know that it was definitely NOT champagne. Most likely bubbling apple cider of some kind, but he didn't care.  
  
Standing up from his seat at the head table, he picked up a fork and tapped it against the crystal goblet he held.  
  
"Can I have your attention please? Thank you." He took a deep breath and hurried on, hoping he didn't forget any of the carefully worked out toast. "I'd like to make a toast to Misato and Kaji. On this, your wedding day, you are surrounded by loved ones, and it is my duty to honor the occasion with special words. I have thought long and hard about the meaning of the vows you have just spoken before us gathered here today, and have decided to honor the two of you thusly."  
  
Misato was blushing with pride, and Kaji's lips twitched up in a slight smile, almost a smirk, but not nearly as contemptuous. 'Well he's off to a good start,' Kaji thought.  
  
Shinji continued, clearing his throat and taking a breath. "When I look upon the two of you I see not two people, but a couple. While this sounds plain to some, this word denotes special meaning to those who recognize it. No longer are you to be thought of as two single souls, vulnerable and adrift within the world. Instead you are the anchor, upon which others will come to depend, as they need your strength and guidance. You are the grassy field, upon which a family will one day be brought forth. And finally, you are two pieces of a much larger puzzle. While you share things with many other individuals, you are never more at peace than when you are together, each of you complimenting the other, and adding together to make something greater than simple sum of your two parts. When I see Kaji standing there, and Misato next to him, I know that if he ever falters or despairs, Misato will be there for him. And as I see Misato, I know that when her fears disturb her dreams, and problems plague her days, Kaji will be there to succor and support her through those times. I can only hope that when my times comes, I may find someone who compliments me as well as the two of you compliment each other. Kaji. Misato. KAMPAI!"  
  
With this final shout Shinji lifted his glass into the air, brought it down, and drained it in one swift motion.  
  
A brief pause, followed by shouts of KAMPAI and cheers followed Shinji's actions. Around him, Shinji's closest friends, Misato, Kaji, Ritsuko, and Professor Fuyutsuki all stared, open mouthed and in shock. Kaji and Misato rushed towards him, hugging him and clapping him on the back.  
  
"Shinji that was wonderful, I haven't ever heard a better wedding toast, thank you," Misato cried.  
  
"My pleasure Misato. Now please stop crying, you're going to ruin your makeup."  
  
"I don't care about my makeup you lunk, I'm crying because I'm happy and proud."  
  
Shinji blushed, not used to the compliment. "Uh, thanks Misato, I'm just happy that you liked it."  
  
"Well what do you know, one of the three stooges might actually have some class," Asuka said. Shinji's blush deepened, but now instead of quiet pride and embarrassment, he felt very self-aware and awkward. 'Now what did I say THAT for,' she thought, 'He was really sweet and thoughtful, and I had to go and make him feel bad.'  
  
Hugging Shinji firmly, and proudly, Kaji glanced at Asuka's snide remark. 'Still have to be the center of attention eh Asuka; no matter the cost? I hope you don't end up pushing him away. I have a feeling you'd never forgive yourself,' he thought.  
  
Kaji released Shinji and turned to wave at the band, who played an instrumental version of his and Misato's favorite song. Slowed down, and on acoustics, instead of at blazing speed, and with electric guitars, it was actually a very romantic song.  
  
Shinji noticed the two of them drifting out onto the dance floor, and watched as they swayed, in time to the beat, around the room. That was his signal. When this song ended the wedding party would join the couple on the dance floor, and would gradually be joined by the remaining crowd. He turned and looked for Ritsuko, figuring that he would still be sharing this dance with her.  
  
"Oh no Shinji, I performed the ceremony. You have to dance with the Maid of Honor," she said.  
  
"But that means..." Shinji gulped. 'Asuka and I have to dance,' he finished silently.  
  
He turned around and noticed Asuka standing behind him, straightening out her dress. She looked up at him. "Well Shinji?"  
  
"Asuka, we have to, I mean, that is." 'Okay, pause, take a breath, relax, she's probably nervous too. Yeah right, look at her, she's absolutely beautiful. So calm, so relaxed, so poised.' Shinji cleared his throat, "Ahem. Asuka, would you like to dance?" he asked softly.  
  
"Well it IS tradition," she said smugly, and grabbed Shinji's hand, leading him onto the dance floor as the music died away. Another slow, sonorous song began, and Shinji stepped in close to Asuka, taking her left hand in his right, and wrapping his left arm around her waist, pulling her even closer.  
  
"Step on my toes and die, Shinji," she whispered to him. Shinji smiled down at her, "Deal. Same goes for you Asuka." 'At least I'll die happy,' he thought savoring the feel of her body pressed up against his.  
  
'Hey, wait a minute,' she thought furiously, 'since when have I ever had to look UP to Shinji. I'm taller than he is. Aren't I?' She carefully examined her memory and realized that Shinji must have gone through a grown spurt sometime since their awakening, and was now almost four inches taller than her. The problem was he was always slouching, so she couldn't tell he'd gotten taller. Now, with the Tux on, he was forcing himself to his full height, and Asuka estimated that he was now at least two inches taller than her.  
  
'Wow, he's tall AND he's got muscles,' she thought, running her right arm up Shinji's back, as they swayed around the floor, carefully examining his improving build. 'No longer the skinny little boy I used to bully around the apartment.'  
  
"When did you get taller than me?" She asked him.  
  
"Oh, must have been just recently. I've grown a lot the last couple months, and my balance is all messed up. So don't rock the boat too much, or I might end up falling over," he replied.  
  
"Well you need to stand up straight more often. Quit slouching, it's bad for you," she scolded.  
  
"Yes, Asuka..."'-chan,' the finished mentally.  
  
Ritsuko and Professor Fuyutsuki had joined the dancers on the floor, and were motioning for others to join them. As the crowd gathered, Fuyutsuki glanced over Doctor Akagi's shoulder at the two former EVA pilots. "Am I right in assuming that this is the REAL reason I had to walk Misato down the aisle, and YOU performed the ceremony?"  
  
"Why Professor, are you accusing me of setting this situation up?" Ritsuko turned her head away, faking a blush.  
  
"Why, yes, I believe I am."  
  
"Very well then, the answer is yes. We set this whole thing up to get Shinji and Asuka together. Somehow they just seem to fit well, but the two of them don't seem to realize it yet. After last nights dancing lesson with Shinji, I realized that I might be able to help those two make some headway. And it looks like all of mine and Misato's planning is about to pay off. Look." She pointed back to the subjects of their conversation.  
  
Shinji and Asuka were still dancing, but no longer seemed aware of the music, or anyone else for that matter. Shinji had now wrapped both of his arms around Asuka's waist , while Asuka's arms were draped over his, palms resting on his shoulders as they swayed to some unheard beat. Their faces were very close together, and they were gazing into each other's eyes.  
  
"Kaji look," Misato whispered, nudging her husband, and indicating the two oblivious dancers.  
  
"Mmm, remind you of anyone we know?" he asked playfully, leaning in close to kiss her.  
  
"Kaji... If I miss this after all the hard work Ritsuko and I have done setting this up, you are a dead man."  
  
"WHOA!" Kaji whisper back, shocked. "No need to get violent Misato."  
  
"I'm sorry love, you just don't understand everything. Those two have been so hurt by their parents, that they've built these huge walls between themselves and the rest of the world. Somehow, while they lived together with me, they managed to open up to each other, even if just a little bit. I look on the two of them as my children, and like every good mother, I want my children to be happy, and not miserable little hedgehogs."  
  
"I think I see what you're getting at, but if Shinji doesn't take his shot soon, I'm going to miss out on some very serious kissing that I could be doing with my wife," Kaji leered.  
  
"Oh you," she smiled, and gave him a quick peck on the lips. They were still dancing, but had slowed below the pace of the song, that was coming to an end, and were paying more attention to the young couple not five feet away.  
  
Shinji continued to gaze down at Asuka, his breath coming is fits and spurts. He could feel her warm breath, equally as fast, on his neck, as she gazed back up at him. He breathed in deeply, inhaling her scent. This was more intoxicating than that time he'd gotten hold of some of Misato's beer and decided to see what was so special about getting drunk. Now, he was drunk with the scent of Asuka, and he doubted if he'd ever find an equal high from mere alcohol.  
  
Shinji suddenly felt the need to lean closer to her, almost like he wanted to become one with her, not repeating the closeness Instrumentality, but desiring a different kind of closeness. Both of them had stopped dancing, or even moving, but neither of them seemed to notice. As Shinji leaned in closer to her, Asuka tilted her head back, closed her eyes and parted her lips. Shinji, in turn, opened his lips slightly and leaned in to Asuka, closing his eyes lightly as well.  
  
Their lips touched, and the rest of the world vanished.  
  
Asuka's hands slipped up behind Shinji's head, pulling him deeply into the kiss that she so longed for.  
  
Shinji answered her passion, shifting his arms so that he now gripped the back of her shoulders, and could crush her softly against him. Somewhere in some small corner of his mind, the barriers, which he'd long ago erected to keep his heart isolated, collapsed. He saw his father, his mother, as flashes, but mostly he saw Asuka. Asuka yelling at him, Asuka synch training with him, Asuka getting out of the shower, Asuka stumbling into his bedroom, and falling asleep with him. Asuka pinching his nose, and planting a kiss on him that was NOTHING like this one. The memory of Misato's kiss was washed away by the flood of emotions accompanying this kiss with Asuka.  
  
Asuka surrendered to the kiss, tasting him, savoring it, gently teasing him with the tip of her tongue. When he softly responded, she instructed him in the way she liked to be kissed the most, with gentle patience she explored him, as he did the same to her. He quickly caught on to her hints, and began to deepen the kiss, giving her much more than she'd bargained for. Asuka couldn't think, couldn't have formed a coherent thought if she'd wanted to. Shinji's passion was like the siren call of the ocean, and she was responding to its call as best she could. She'd never felt this way before, and didn't want it to end. If only this moment could last forever, she'd be complete. She felt heat rising in her body, and unfamiliar sensations swept over her. She knew that normally she'd have been very upset with him for this, but at this exact moment, everything was right with her world.  
  
"Way to go SHINJI. WHOOOT!"  
  
Shocked, the two of them snapped apart, Asuka pushing Shinji away from her, and they stood there, holding each other at arms length, and stared into each others eyes. Shinji's eyes were soft and gentle, looking at her like never before. Asuka's eyes reflected her surprise, as if a wild animal had just been caught in the open, and was trying to decided which way to run.  
  
"Oh, that's classy Kensuke, just blow the whole mood, why don't you," Toji said, smacking his bespectacled friend in the back of the head.  
  
Asuka looked from the two Stooges to Shinji, shock and surprise fighting a rising panic and fear on her features.  
  
"Asuka..." Shinji began.  
  
SMACK!  
  
A bright red hand print appeared on the left side of Shinji's cheek.  
  
"SHINJI YOU PERVERT! HOW DARE YOU! I CAN'T BELIVE YOU'D TAKE ADVANTAGE OF ME LIKE THAT! WELL NEVER AGAIN!" Asuka shouted. She pulled out of his grip, and stormed through the stunned crowd of onlookers, and out of the Reception Hall.  
  
Shinji stood there stunned. Not quite understanding how what had happened could be so wrong. They had kissed, and it was quite possibly the most wonderful thing that had ever happened to him. Now she was upset with him again. How could that be? Didn't she know he was in love with her? Shinji felt his world begin to collapse around him, and everything was going gray and fuzzy at the edges of his vision.  
  
"Ritsuko, catch him," Misato said, watching as Shinji swayed, and started to pass out.  
  
Ritsuko grabbed Shinji, and, with help, hustled him into a side room.  
  
Misato and Kaji supported the young man, while Ritsuko snapped open a small vial she'd had in her lapel. "Here Shinji, breath deep," she said, holding the smelling salts under his nose. She'd figured she'd need to use these on Misato or even Kaji, but not Shinji.  
  
Shinji jerked, and shook on the chair, coming alert again.  
  
"What? No! No, please, don't. DON'T LEAVE ME! AISHITERU!!" he shouted this last, and his friends could feel his fragile heart breaking. Misato restrained him from running off while he was still disoriented. Sinking forward in the chair, he suddenly clutched Misato fiercely. (translation: I love you)  
  
"Why," he whispered, as the dam broke and his tears fell onto her shoulder.  
  
"Oh Shinji, I'm so sorry. If I'd known it would end like this, I never would have had her be my Maid of Honor," Misato cried, holding the bereft young man.  
  
Toji, Kensuke, and Hikari all looked at each other nervously, hurt by their friends obvious distress.  
  
"We've got to find Asuka," Hikari said to the other two.  
  
"Yeah," growled Toji, "She's either going to fix this or I'm gonna kill her."  
  
Kensuke Aida was silent. If only he hadn't been such a smart ass, this might never have happened. He should have just kept his mouth shut and concentrated on his dancing.  
  
"Come on," Hikari said, dragging the two boys behind her.  
  
They quickly followed Asuka's wake out of the Hall, ignoring the whispering of the people around them.  
  
Hikari glanced into the parking lot. "Asuka's BMW is gone," she noted.  
  
"And look at those burn outs. I bet she laid seventy feet of rubber," Kensuke said, impressed.  
  
"Come on, get in," Toji said, motioning them into his Toyota 4Runner. "Where do you think she'd go Hikari?"  
  
"Try our house first," she said.  
  
Toji gunned his accelerator, and dropped the car into Drive, the powerful SUV screaming out of the parking lot.  
  
Next on Episode 2:07 of Neon Genesis Evangelion Asuka tries to hide from her own emotions, and does a better job of hiding from everyone else. Will her friends find her in time to prevent her from making a horrible mistake? Shinji will pay the price for Asuka's actions, but the charge may be more than his fragile young body can afford.  
  
It's Evangelion Episode 2:07 Goodbye is never a good thing to say. 


	7. Episode 2:07

Disclaimer: Neon Genesis Evangelion is Owned by Gainax. Buy the DVD's of the Series and the Movies from them. I did, and it was worth every dime. I don't own anything except my DVD's, and this is done for my own satisfaction.  
  
Episode 2:07 Goodbye is never a good thing to say.  
  
Takes place after 1st season, and the End of Evangelion Movie.  
  
Presumed date is Saturday June 11th, 2016  
  
"Toji, slow down, you're gonna kill us all," Hikari said from the back seat.  
  
"Then you better put your seat belt on, so the Ambulance driver doesn't have to look for the bodies babe," Toji said through gritted teeth, as he mashed the accelerator to the floor, and the tires on his Toyota 4Runner squealed.  
  
Cutting across people's lawns, and taking the corners wide, Toji Suzuhara was driving like a madman, and Kensuke Aida, his best friend, was beginning to wonder if it had been a mistake to let him drive. Even if there was no longer any government to regulate drivers licenses and levy fines, by popular consensus, there were some people who just should not be allowed to drive until they were more mature. Toji was making Hikari and Kensuke believe that he might be one of these people.  
  
Toji blew through several intersections, not even taking notice of the traffic control signs. Stop, yield, slow, none of them mattered as he pelted toward home. The tires squealed one last time, as Toji stomped the brakes, and skidded sideways to stop in front of Hikari and Asuka's home.  
  
"I don't see the car, but it might be around back or in the garage," Hikari said. "We should go check."  
  
The three teenagers piled out of the car, and headed into the house. There was no sign of Asuka's presence, and no sign that she'd been here recently.  
  
"Great. Well?" Toji asked.  
  
"The base," Hikari said.  
  
Meanwhile back at Misato and Kaji's wedding reception, Shinji had recovered a little more since Doctor Akagi had helped him out by giving him a sniff of smelling salts, and some chamomile tea.  
  
"Why, Misato? Why did she leave me like that? Everything was perfect, and then from out of nowhere WHAM! Utter chaos."  
  
"I don't know Shinji, I can only guess. Ritsuko?" Misato asked, turning.  
  
"Well, I suppose the most likely cause would be that Asuka has yet to let go of her baggage."  
  
"Meaning?" Misato asked.  
  
"Meaning that, like Shinji here, Asuka had a lot of emotional problems, stemming from a very traumatic childhood. If I could hazard a guess, I'd say that she's been keeping everything bottled up inside, but its slowly been seeping out of her. Today, when she kissed Shinji, everything rushed to the surface at once, like a damn breaking. When the kiss ended so abruptly, she could only feel ashamed that she had been enjoying something so wonderful, and, was unwilling to let the other baggage just slide. She probably assumed in that moment that this had all been a trap, and, in a sense, it was, it just didn't come from the person she thought it did. She couldn't see this for the opportunity it was, and, instead, she saw it as another chance to be hurt by someone she cared about and ran away from it."  
  
"But where has she run off too?" Misato asked.  
  
"I bet I know where," Shinji said, sitting up, and drying his eyes. Turning to Misato, he hugged her quickly, and then stood back taking off his tux jacket. "Hang onto this for me will you Misato. I'm going to go get Asuka."  
  
"Sure thing Shinji," Misato said, as he turned and started to run out of the room.  
  
"And Shinji?" she said.  
  
"Yes?" He said, turning to look expectantly at her.  
  
"Make sure you tell her," she said.  
  
Shinji nodded, knowing instinctively what it was he had to tell Asuka. He ran out through the hall, and into the hatcheck room. There, on a peg on the wall, was his helmet and leather jacket. Quickly donning them, he ran out the front door to the temple and jumped on his bike. Shoving the key in the ignition, he triggered the starter, and gunned the motorcycle out of the parking lot, leaving a cloud of smoke and several millimeters of his tire behind.  
  
"Don't you dare run out on me Asuka. I'm not going to let you go that easily," he said to himself, gritting his teeth together as he wound the bike wide open, heading for the NERV Landing field.  
  
"So why are we heading for the landing field, Hikari?" Toji asked, as they screamed though another intersection.  
  
"Asuka once told me that the only time she was ever really at peace these days was when she was running flat out in the sky over the ocean in that F- 22 Raptor she pilots on long range Air Patrols."  
  
"Great, so the only time she's happy is when she's flying a multi-Billion yen fighter plane," Toji said.  
  
Kensuke Aida thought that that WOULD be great, but he wasn't about to say that to Toji right now.  
  
"TOJI LOOK OUT!" Kensuke shouted.  
  
Toji swerved, over corrected, fishtailed, and spent several seconds recovering from the near accident, as a black and gold street bike screamed through the intersection they were crossing, and turned up the road they were following. Strange orange sparkles were dancing around the edges of the bike, as it wobbled slightly, and then straightened out, accelerating away from them.  
  
"That's Shinji's bike isn't it?" Toji asked.  
  
"Yes, it is, he's gotta be heading for the Airfield as well," Hikari said. 'How romantic,' she thought, sighing.  
  
"Toji, you're gonna loose him, step on it," Kensuke urged, grabbing Toji's arm.  
  
"Lay off will you, I picked this thing out because I thought I'd use it for some 4x4 fun. It's not a sport model like Shinji's Bike or Asuka's BMW,' Toji said, shrugging off Kensuke.  
  
Deep within the heart of the former NERV Nagoya-2 Emergency Facility, the super computer known as "The Shepherd" registered several brief but distinct events. Long unused circuits tripped an alert, and alarms began to sound throughout the facility. Makato Hyuga sat bolt upright in his chair and stared at the screen.  
  
"Huh? Pattern Orange, AT Field detected. What the hell?" he shouted. "Someone get hold of Commander Katsuragi."  
  
"It's Commander Ryoji, by now Makato," said Shigeru Aoba. "She's getting married today, or did you forget?"  
  
"I didn't forget, but this is more important than that."  
  
Shigeru looked at his screen more closely, and nodded. "I hate to admit it, but I think you're right. Do it."  
  
Not waiting to be told again, Makato stabbed at the "Emergency Alert" button on his console. Across the city, hundreds of cell phones went off, the recorded message informing their owners to report to combat stations.  
  
"This is the part I hate. I wish Maya were here to take care of this, she always dealt better with Misato than I did," Shigeru noted. He lifted his cell phone, and punched in the Commander's number.  
  
"What now?" Misato asked, opening her phone and taking the call.  
  
"We've got a situation here ma'am. You need to report at once," came Shigeru's voice from the Operations Center.  
  
"Alright, we'll be there in ten," she said, hanging up.  
  
"So much for the Honeymoon," Kaji said, pinching Misato's butt as she ran towards the front door of the Temple; a dozen other personnel, including her husband, right behind her.  
  
"Come on, come ON! Must... Go... FASTER..." Shinji said this last through gritted teeth. The high performance bike was locked firmly into 7th gear, and the RPM's were redlining dangerously at over 11000. The bike was still accelerating up through 250, 270 290 kph, and still climbing. Shinji came over a small rise overlooking the JSDF Airfield, and the bike came free of the ground. Orange sparks were now flying all around the bike, but he failed to notice them, so fixed on his target was he. He had sailed almost 300 yards before the rear wheel of the bike touched back down, and the shock slammed the front wheel to the ground violently. A shower of orange sparks flew up around the bike at the impact, as if he had landed in some kind of orange puddle, and the water had been kicked up into the air.  
  
Shinji grabbed the rear brake, and the friction slowed the bike, and straightened it out before it could fishtail out of control. Shinji could see a clear shot of the field from here, and noticed a bright red F-22 Raptor easing down the taxiway, heading for the only runway long enough for the F-22 to launch from.  
  
"Not that easily you don't," he shouted, as his bike closed in on the fighter plane.  
  
"YAAAAAHOOOOOOOO!" Kensuke and Toji shouted as the 4x4 caught air coming over the same hill Shinji had. Landing much short of his mark, however, Toji controlled the bouncing rig as it tried to swerve left and right. Kensuke's cell phone rang, and he answered it.  
  
"Hello? Hey guys its Misato. Hey Misato, what's up? No, no we haven't caught up with Asuka yet. But I think Shinji's about to. Where? The Airfield. Shinji's chasing her Raptor on his bike, and I think he's actually gonna catch her before she can lift off, if you can believe that. Well no, I hadn't thought about that, and I bet Shinji hasn't either. Hey, Suzuhara, is there any way you can think of that Shinji can stop Asuka from taking off?"  
  
Suzuhara blanched white. "No way, Dude. That Jet is at least 50 times heavier than his bike. If he tries to get in front of it to stop it, he's toast. Besides, even if it did stop her, taking out the nose wheel would probably cause the plane to flip. It'd kill Asuka, and probably Shinji."  
  
"I was afraid of that," Kensuke groaned. "What? What's that Misato? I don't know if we can, but we'll try to get his attention. Hit the Horn and lights Toji."  
  
Toji responded by pressing both thumbs into the buttons that activated the horn, and using the smallest finger on his left hand to turn his headlights on and off.  
  
"Damn it Shinji, this is NOT the time for you to pull this crap," Misato growled as her car sped towards the monorail station leading to the underground command center.  
  
"Call him at his second number," Kaji said.  
  
"What? His second, oh, right, his helmet has a built in cellular unit. Damn it. Hang on," she said, as they cut across a parking lot, instead of traveling another 400 feet to the intersection and turning onto the connecting road.  
  
Misato thumbed through her cell phones directory, eventually finding the listing for Shinji with two numbers highlighted. She punched the selector to choose the second number and hit send.  
  
Shinji heard the soft musical tune that meant someone was calling him over his helmet system.  
  
"Phone. Answer," he said, and the cellular unit built into his helmet accepted the voice cue, and connected the call.  
  
"Shinji what the HELL are you doing!" she shouted.  
  
"I'm going to stop Asuka and make her talk to me."  
  
"No, you're not, you're about to get run over by a massive fighter aircraft, and splattered all across the tarmac of that runway. Let her go. She's not going to go far, and I'm sure she'll come back when she's had a chance to calm down."  
  
"Huh? How did you know I'm on the runway?"  
  
"Aida told me. They're not far behind you, but to far away to be of any use," she said.  
  
At this, Shinji looked up at the rear view monitor mounted over his steering column. Sure enough, there was Toji's SUV, just coming through the airfield gates, lights flashing.  
  
"Are you going to stop? Kensuke says she's left the taxi-way, and is gathering speed for takeoff," Misato asked.  
  
"Not yet. Sorry Misato, but if she wants to be the one to run away this time, she's got to go through me," Shinji said.  
  
"Phone... Off."  
  
Misato's line went dead. It was just as well, Kaji was handing her his cell phone.  
  
"Commander? This is Shigeru. Sorry to ruin this day for you, but we've detected a pattern Orange and what appears now to be two separate AT fields. The contact is intermittent, at best, but they're definitely there, and they're building in power."  
  
"Pattern Orange? But that's an EVA signature. What the hell is going on, I thought all the EVA's were destroyed."  
  
"Not quite ma'am, Unit-01 wasn't destroyed, it's still in high Lunar Orbit. We're still monitoring it, but it's not what's generating this signatures. Whatever it is, its' coming from the Airfield."  
  
"Shinji and Asuka," Misato whispered. "Oh dear god, would someone please tell me what is happening out there?"  
  
Shinji chopped power to his bikes engines, and skidded the thing sideways. The strange orange glow, which had been around him earlier, flared into an almost solid wave of color on the other side of the bike, as if he were skidding through a puddle of water. When the bike came to a stop, he was parked across the runway, a good 200 meters short of the end of the tarmac. There was no way she could avoid seeing him now. She'd see him, and HAVE to stop.  
  
Asuka's plane closed in. Gathering speed. The engines were straining, sounding like they would rip themselves out of the plane, and continue on into the sky on their own. He could see a strange orange glow coming from beneath the nose and forward wing flaps.  
  
"Phone... Dial Asuka... Flight" His cell immediately dialed the headset in Asuka's helmet. After several moments she answered.  
  
"WHAT?"  
  
"Asuka stop, we need to talk," said Shinji.  
  
"About what. About how you set me up, and then proceeded to humiliate me in front of EVERYBODY?"  
  
"Asuka, no, I didn't do that to you. I could never do that to you. We need to talk about US, about what just happened, about... you know you're coming towards me really fast?"  
  
"Get out of the way Third Child, or I swear I'll run you over."  
  
"Asuka, you haven't called me that since the first day after we awakened. Do you have to start now Asuka-Chan?"  
  
"Don't you dare use that tone with me Shinji Ikari, it won't do you any good. I am the great Asuka Langley Soryu, and I will NOT be stopped by the likes of you."  
  
"If you want to get airborne Asuka, you're gonna have to go thru me. Can you do that Asuka? Can you kill a man in cold blood, just because he's trying to tell you that he's in love with you?" he asked. The orange motes around Asuka's leading edge surfaces surged in intensity and seemed to be straining to lift the plane before it reached him.  
  
Shinji didn't hear any response from her, only her labored breathing. It sounded as if she were crying.  
  
"Asuka. Please. Don't do this," he said, holding his arms out in front of him. He didn't notice the orange glow that surrounded him building in intensity. Now so bright that Toji, Kensuke, and Hikari could see its blinding flash from clear across the airfield.  
  
"ASUKA!" he screamed, sounding like some kind of wounded dying animal.  
  
"LEAVE ME ALONE!" Asuka shouted at the same instant, pulling up on the stick, and sailing over the head of Shinji, her plane's entire underbelly covered with a similar flaring orange glow.  
  
The turbulence of her passing flashed over Shinji, as he and his bike were lifted into the air, and thrown into the bog at the end of the runway, now surrounded by the strange orange glow. Shinji came to rest almost 50 meters inside the bog at the end of the runway, and the lights surrounding his unconscious form began to fade.  
  
"She's Airborne Commander," Shigeru reported.  
  
"Patch me into her," Misato said.  
  
Soft crying met her initial fury, and tempered her reaction.  
  
"Asuka, Asuka is that you? Can you hear me?"  
  
"I can hear you Misato," Asuka sniffed.  
  
"Asuka honey, why don't you land that thing so we can all sit down and have a nice talk. Okay?" Misato said in her best 'understanding mother' tone.  
  
"No."  
  
"Why not?"  
  
"You know why. Shinji, that idiot, embarrassed me in front of all those people," she sobbed. 'Still it was an incredible kiss,' a part of her thought.  
  
"I don't see how. You were only doing what came natural. There's nothing to be embarrassed about."  
  
"Kissing Shinji is NOT Natural Misato!" Asuka shouted. 'No matter how much you enjoyed it,' that small part within her asked.  
  
"Somehow I think that that isn't how you really feel. I know, I was there, I saw how happy you looked. How happy you BOTH looked. Now turn that plane around, and we'll have a nice talk. Woman to woman," Misato said hopefully.  
  
"Don't remind me. I'll never be able to live this down," she said. "Just leave me alone, I need to be alone to think about this, alright." 'Why do you need to think? You know where you belong. Give up you're pride and admit your feelings. Go back to him," the voice was urging.  
  
"Asuka, where are you going?"  
  
"I don't know Misato, I just don't know. But I know I can't come back there. I need to think about some things."  
  
"Are you thinking about how much Shinji loves you Asuka? Are you? Did he tell you that before you ran him down? That's all he could think about as he left the Temple, you know that Asuka. We haven't heard from Aida and Suzuhara yet, they were looking for his body the last communication we had with them. Do you think it was worth his life, for him to tell you how he felt? How he's always felt?" Misato cried into the cell phone.  
  
"Shinji loved you Asuka, and now he's probably dead. Kind of a high price to pay for loving someone don't you think?"  
  
There was no response from Asuka, only a strange silence, and the growing static of a poor communications link.  
  
"Asuka, can you hear me, Asuka you're breaking up, come in. Shigeru get her back."  
  
"Sorry ma'am she's out of range."  
  
"DAMN!" Misato swore thumping her hand on her steering wheel. "Alright Shigeru, thanks for helping with that. Now, do you have any more information about what caused the code orange and those AT fields?"  
  
"Nothing Commander. They've both gone silent too."  
  
"I want to see all the data you can give me when I get there. Kaji and I should be there inside of 5 minutes.  
  
"Roger Ma'am, we'll have everything ready for you. Aoba out."  
  
"Well, all in all, I think this is one of the most exciting wedding days I've ever heard of," Kaji said, smiling.  
  
"Stuff it Kaji," Misato said bluntly.  
  
On the airfield, Toji squealed his 4Runner to a stop at the end of the runway. The reeds leading into the bog at the end of the runway were broken and scattered like someone had mown a path through them with a brush cutter. Toji, Kensuke, and Hikari jumped out of the SUV, and Toji and Kensuke crashed into the water, searching for Shinji. They found his bike first. The beautiful and sculptured lines of the bike had been shattered, the turbulence of the fighter's close passage had thrown it more than 230 yards from where Shinji had abandoned it, in a last, desperate, attempt to stop Asuka. The front half of the bike was on one side of the path through the reeds, and the other half was on the other side. They kept looking, not seeing any sign of Shinji's Jacket or his Helmet.  
  
"Over here, Toji, look," Kensuke called. He'd seen something. It was Shinji's black motorcycle helmet. Designed to take a tremendous impact and protect the cranium of the wearer, it was split and splintered, the carbon fiber shell shredded and scarred.  
  
"Oh Jeez," Toji swore softly, "Kensuke, buddy, we've got to find him. He isn't gonna be walking away from this one.  
  
"Do you see anything?" Hikari called.  
  
"No babe, nothing, Call Misato, and have her scramble an EMS crew, and get the emergency room prepped for us."  
  
"OH GOD NO! SHINJI!" Toji turned at the anguished cry behind him. Kensuke was splashing through the bog, and bent over to lift something black and limp from the water.  
  
"NO! SHINJI! NO!" he wailed, as Toji approached. Shinji seemed oddly at peace, but he was covered in scratches and blood. His jacket had been ripped to shreds and there was blood pouring out of several places on his head. His face was covered in it, and his hair was matted with it.  
  
"Aida. AIDA! Is he breathing?" Toji shouted bending down to help his distraught friend with his burden. "Help me lift him Kensuke. We've got to get him out of this bog." They both lifted Shinji up, trying to be careful with him, but frequently dropping or banging some part of Shinji as they maneuvered out of the bog.  
  
"Oh Shinji, no." Hikari gasped.  
  
Toji and Kensuke laid Shinji down on the ground, and Toji checked for a pulse.  
  
"No breathing, no heartbeat. Great! Hikari, call Misato back and tell her we need a life flight. If they don't get Shinji to the hospital five minutes ago he's dead."  
  
Hikari burst into tears and redialed Asuka, choking she managed to get out Suzuhara's message. "Misato wants to know if you know CPR."  
  
"Yeah, I know it. Starting now. Come on Aida, I'll do chest compressions, and you breathe for him. AIDA! Snap out of it! If you seize up now, Shinji's dead."  
  
Aida bent over, cleared Shinji's airway, and began to breathe for him. Toji, meanwhile, had ripped Shinji's shirt open, and, finding the spot that their Health teacher had shown them, began chest compressions. He heard the bones on Shinji's chest snap with a sickening crack, but kept going. If he lived he'd have broken ribs, and a pulse. If he died, they wouldn't matter.  
  
Toji began his count, "One, two, three, four, five, BREATHE. One, two, three, four, five, BREATHE." They continued this for a full minute, and then stopped to see if he was breathing on his own. No dice, but Toji thought he detected a weak pulse. "I think his hearts beating Aida, but don't stop breathing for him," Kensuke said, and Aida went back to work. The screech of a VTOL coming in over the field told Toji and Hikari that Misato had already been thinking that way. The VTOL was painted the White and red that meant it belonged to the hospital. It dropped onto the field, engines still revving, as it eased towards the tarmac where Shinji lay.  
  
The crew piled out the back of the VTOL before the pilot finished setting them down.  
  
"Stand back, we've got him," the lead EMT said. The EMT's quickly accessed Shinji and determined that his heart was beating very faintly, and he was breathing in fits.  
  
"Jesus kid, don't die on us, not after everything you've done," the EMT whispered.  
  
"Good job you three. You can come with us, if you want," he said.  
  
Suzuhara nodded, and helped the Paramedics lift Shinji onto the backboard, and then on to the stretcher. He and the others followed the paramedics to the back of he waiting VTOL, where they all piled in.  
  
"Roger that, lifting now, estimated time is four minutes. Tell Commander Katsuraki umm... Commander Ryoji, that she should meet us in the hospital. Tell her he's 01 Critical. Roger. Air Rescue one, out."  
  
Kensuke, hearing the pilots' cryptic message, gasped and turned to stare at Shinji, as he fought for his life. The current military medical vernacular defined an 01 Critical case as a severely injured patient that the EMT's presumed would be DOA. The EMT was telling them that in his expert opinion Shinji had only a 1% chance of making the hospital alive.  
  
'This can't be,' Aida thought to himself, 'Shinji's saved the world all by himself at least a dozen times. Heck he's the reason we're all still here. This can't be how it ends for him, it just can't.'  
  
Aida felt the VTOL shift and a heavy thump hit him as they landed in the hospital parking lot. Nurses and doctors swarmed out of the doors to the hospital, and rushed to meet the EMT's. Quickly gathering Shinji's gurney, they whisked him away to the emergency room. The teens ran to follow, but were directed to a nearby waiting room before they could go into the Emergency room with him.  
  
Hikari, Kensuke, and Toji collapsed onto the couches of the waiting room and tried not to think about what could happen to Shinji. Suddenly Hikari burst into tears, and, as if the floodgates had opened, Toji and Kensuke began to weep as well. The three friends huddled close together, crouched on the floor, and prayed for a miracle. In their experience, these were very often answered.  
  
Next on Episode 2:08 of Neon Genesis Evangelion As Shinji lies in a hospital bed, his future uncertain, two mysterious objects fall from the sky. The mystery of the orange lights will be revealed, and a startling series of events will occur heralding the arrival of a new darkness on the horizon.  
  
It's Evangelion Episode 2:08 Messages from the Choir. 


	8. Episode 2:08

Disclaimer: Neon Genesis Evangelion is Owned by Gainax. Buy the DVD's of the Series and the Movies from them. I did, and it was worth every dime. I don't own anything except my DVD's, and this is done for my own satisfaction.  
  
Episode 2:08 Messages from the Choir.  
  
Takes place after 1st season, and the End of Evangelion Movie.  
  
Presumed date is Saturday June 11th and Sunday June 12th, 2016  
  
"That's right Makoto, we're arriving now, I'll let you know as soon as I've heard anything. Alright, keep in touch," Misato could be heard saying as she came into the waiting room.  
  
"Misato?" Hikari asked.  
  
Misato, still wearing her wedding gown, stopped briefly to look down at the children. Huddled together on the floor for support, they looked helpless and defeated. So different from how they had looked a scant 30 minutes ago, on what, at the time, had been the happiest day of Misato's life.  
  
"Kaji, honey, could you stay here with the kids, I've got to see Shinji," Misato said, looking away from the kids, and heading for the emergency room. She didn't even pause as she stepped through the door with the large 'No Entry Beyond This Point!' sign painted in red on it. Within moments she was pulling aside the curtains surrounding the flurry of activity that was taking place around her young foster son.  
  
"Commander, you shouldn't be here," one of the doctors commented sadly.  
  
"Don't think you can make me leave," she stated flatly.  
  
She glanced at the EKG monitor screen, and saw only the faintest traces of a pulse. Weak and irregular, the numbers kept changing, and every few moments a loud alarm beep would sound. Spying Shinji's hand, strapped to the table he was on; she reached forward to take his hand, trying to convey not only her presence, but also some of her energy to sustain this young man.  
  
As the doctors worked, she tried to remember what had happened, and understand how it had gone so wrong. She'd seen him opening up, flowering, and coming into his own, these last several weeks, especially since the arrival of the rest of the rest of the three stooges. And then today, with a little help and a little shove in the right direction, he had crashed head long through the barriers that isolated him from so much of the rest of humanity. He'd reached out for Asuka, and she'd reached for him, and everything seemed right with the world. And then a careless comment, she couldn't blame Kensuke, though doubtless he blamed himself, had snapped Asuka back from the brink of her own release, and Shinji had crashed headlong into a barrier not of his own design.  
  
Asuka had fled, and in desperation, Shinji had followed, willing to risk everything, even to sacrifice his life to tell the young woman that he loved her.  
  
'Did you do it Shinji? Did you tell her? I tried to tell her for you, but I don't know if she heard me either,' she tried to send to him. Makato had told her as she'd arrived here that they'd lost contact with Asuka's fighter as it cleared the range of the last NERV monitor station somewhere over Inner Mongolia.  
  
Time passed unnoticed for Misato, and it wasn't until one of the nurses shook her gently, that she realized they had finished working on him.  
  
"Sorry, commander, but we need to move him to recovery. If you'll come this way, I think the lead physician would like to speak to you," the nurse said, taking Misato's free hand and leading her away from Shinji. She continued to watch him as they wheeled him out of the room, and down a short hall to room labeled 'Recovery.'  
  
"It's the damnedest thing, commander. That boy has no right to be alive. Even before his friends started CPR, we estimate that he'd suffered from 10 broken ribs, as well as numerous cuts, abrasions, a shattered 4th cervical vertebrae, and, lastly, a severe head trauma and concussion. There was increasing pressure on his spinal chord and brain caused by all the damage, and his heart an lungs were not receiving the autonomic signals they need to keep beating."  
  
"Are you telling me that even after surviving all this, Shinji is going to die?" She asked weakly.  
  
"That's just it, Commander, he's going to be fine. In fact, I'd bet on his making a full recovery."  
  
"Oh thank you doctor," Misato sighed with relief, and hugged the Doctor gratefully.  
  
"No thanks necessary, Commander. He did all the work by himself. Every time we found something that was going wrong, and knew we couldn't fix it without killing him, but without fixing it he'd die, things would just fix themselves. His swelling's gone down, his heart rate has increased, his lungs have actually repaired at least 3 punctures from his ribs. His ribs, ah now that's the best one yet. Three ribs which had actually pierced the flesh, and were visible... healed themselves. In fact on the X-rays, you'd be hard pressed to find exactly where this boys bones were EVER broken.  
  
"How soon before he wakes up?" Misato asked incredulously.  
  
"At this rate, I can never be sure, but I'd guess early tomorrow morning."  
  
"Thank you doctor, now if you you'll excuse me I have some very anxious people waiting for this news."  
  
She walked out to the waiting room where Toji was waiting with the three friends. They all looked up expectantly.  
  
"He's going to be alright," she said, and all at once the five of them let out a collective sigh of relive.  
  
"Although the doctors have no idea why. They said its' as if his body is going through some kind of miraculous regeneration. Things they had no idea how to fix were just spontaneously healing themselves."  
  
"I think I can understand that, Misato. I've been talking to the gang here, and I think we have something to tell you," Toji said. "Go ahead Suzuhara," he prodded.  
  
"Okay," Toji said, hesitantly, "Well commander it's like this. Kaji told us about the alert and the weird readings that headquarters was getting, and we think we may have the answer to your question. The AT fields were generated by Shinji and Asuka."  
  
There was utter silence.  
  
"WHAT?" Misato shouted, before realizing she was in a hospital, and should be quiet.  
  
"What did you say?" Misato asked, more in control.  
  
"It's like this. As we were heading for the Airfield Shinji came tearing by us. He should have wiped out, as fast and loose as he was going, but there were these weird orange sparks coming up around him. At first I'd thought that maybe some piece of metal from his bike was grinding against the pavement. Later I saw that, even when running in a straight line, the sparks were there. And they weren't the right kind of sparks. Then Shinji got out ahead of Asuka, and steered his bike to block the runway. Those spark things showed up again, but this time they looked like some kind of wave or pillow, cushioning him and the bike from flipping over."  
  
"He got off the bike, and just stood there, yelling at Asuka over his helmet communications gear, and held out his arms. Well by this time I'd noticed that the underside of Asuka's jet was glowing with the same orange sparks. Anyway, just as I was sure Asuka was going to hit him and probably take them both out, that's when I saw it. When Shinji held out his arms there was this bright orange flash. I wasn't sure before, but when I saw those weird octagonal shaped patches of light flash solid in front of him, I knew. There was an AT field surrounding Shinji. Asuka too, or at least her jet, because when the two fields collided, one deflected off the other, and it literally threw Asuka, fighter and all, into the sky. Then when Shinji got caught in the backwash of her turbulence, the AT field formed itself into a bubble to try and protect him. But it doesn't look like it was strong enough to do it all by itself."  
  
Misato, stared at him, then she nodded.  
  
"Kaji, can you give me your phone?" she asked.  
  
Kaji handed over his cell phone immediately, "Ritsuko?"  
  
"And Fuyutsuki, yes. Hello, Ritsuko, I'm at the hospital. No no, Shinji's going to be all right. It's WHY he's going to be all right that we need to talk about. Get Fuyutsuki and get over here now, you need to hear this," she said, and disconnected the phone.  
  
Morning sun was peeking through the window as Shinji opened his eyes, very surprised that he could, in fact, and stared at the ceiling.  
  
'Why do all hospitals have the same depressing acoustic tiles? Something bright and cheerful might be nice to see once in a while,' he thought weakly.  
  
He remembered the injuries, the terrible tumbling, and the impact. Then the snapping and the crashing, and the knowledge the all the noise he was hearing were coming from his body, and not the reeds he was crashing through.  
  
'But why was I there, in that place with the reeds?' he thought to himself.  
  
Flashes, images, and brief moments of clarity filled his mind. An orange glow; a red fighter plane hurtling towards him; his motorcycle hurtling down the tarmac; landing in a flash of weird orange sparks after being airborne for quite some time. Flashing houses and parked cars as he sped past them; the front of the Temple, and his bike parked there; handing Misato his Tux jacket; the smelling salts; the pain in his cheek from her hand; loosing himself in those blue eyes and the kiss as it drew him in and consumed him.  
  
"ASUKA!" he screamed, like an animal being torn to pieces, sitting bolt upright in the bed, tearing away a chest restraint, and wrenching his back.  
  
"Shinji! Oh thank god. Shinji you're awake. It's okay, I'm here for you," Misato said, leaning close to him, smothering him against her. The damn burst within him, and he cried. For the first time in years he cried in front of someone. Not by himself in his room. Not on the empty deck of a train station, as his father abandoned him. But in the comforting embrace of the woman who had been his mother for the last year and a half. "That's right Shinji, let it out, just let it come," she murmured to him, rocking him gently back and forth.  
  
Looking through the 2 way mirror, at Misato holding Shinji, and attempting to comfort the young man, Ritsuko turned away, saddened, and looked up at Fuyutsuki. "Well?" she asked.  
  
"Well the data we were able to gather from the Shepherd comes to the same conclusion as Mister Suzuhara. Shinji was generating an AT field. Asuka too apparently; right there at the end," he said, looking up from the papers he held.  
  
"Alright, but now for the question to the ultimate answer. How were Shinji and Asuka able to produce AT fields? I thought that physical manifestation of the AT field were only possible for EVA and Angels. A human's AT field isn't the same, ours is used to keep our bodies contained, and to give us form and identity."  
  
"Well, I'm not sure," she answered, "but might it be a consequence of the two of them being IN their EVA's at the time of third impact."  
  
"I guess it's possible," he said, "Damn I wish we had the Magi system, they could come up with a list of possibilities based on this scenario. The Shepherd just never had that kind of specialized programming installed. Okay, so what about this. We know that the AT field of the EVA's is generated by the use of the soul of the individual who was trapped within it. In Ikari's case it was Yui, his mother, who was trapped within Unit- 01. Soryu is the same way, part of her mothers soul is, was, within her Unit-02. What if, during third impact, the remaining part of the mothers soul passed from the EVA and into the child?"  
  
"And then, because of the extra soul energy trapped within their bodies, Shinji and Asuka both began to gain the ability to generate EVA like AT fields," Doctor Akagi speculated.  
  
"I know, it doesn't sound likely, but what other answer is there. My real question is as to why it took them so long to manifest this ability?" Professor Fuyutsuki asked.  
  
"Well, I'd suspect it has something to do with their emotional state. Since the Awakenings began, there's been almost no conflict of any kind. Shinji and Asuka have been especially calm and relaxed. Until today that is," Ritsuko observed.  
  
"Well, we'll have to wait until he's feeling a little better before we can do some tests to try and confirm all this. I think he's going to need some time to recover from this," she said, turning back to the mirror to watch the inconsolable young man.  
  
"Not again," Makato Hyuga sighed, as a new set of alarms went off in the Central Operations room.  
  
"Jeez, will you look at that telemetry. This is nuts," Shigeru Aoba said, watching the readouts scroll down his screen.  
  
"Better call Misato again," Makato said.  
  
"Alright, here goes," Shigeru said, again dialing his superior.  
  
"Damn it," Misato swore, hearing her cell phone ring, as it set on the table next to Shinji's bed. She had been sitting here holding his hand for the last ten minutes as he lay there in a reclined position, listening to her voice as she tried to comfort him.  
  
"Yes, what is it now?" she snapped.  
  
"Commander Ryoji, it's Shigeru ma'am. We've got another situation."  
  
"Asuka?" she said hopefully, and Shinji raised his head, his eyes filled with tears still.  
  
"No ma'am. There's still no sign of her. This is something entirely different. Deep Space Radar Tracking has picked up two high-speed objects, approximately one hundred feet across, approaching from space, traveling on a direct trajectory for the base. Computer says they will not, repeat, will NOT, burn up on atmospheric entry. They should impact within the next forty seconds."  
  
"Forty seconds? Why the hell didn't we get more warning?"  
  
"Thirty seconds. They appeared out of no where, traveling at incredible velocity."  
  
"You two brace for impact, and, if the shockwave doesn't kill you, I want you to scramble disaster recovery teams."  
  
"Twenty seconds, Ma'am. Computer is adjusting expected trajectory to compensate for atmospheric thermal blooming. Now pinpointing expected impact zone."  
  
"Where's it gonna hit?" Misato asked, anxiously.  
  
"Fifteen seconds. That can't be right. Check it again. Targets are rapidly decelerating Commander. Impact zone isolated. It's been an honor serving with you."  
  
"Damn it Shigeru, where's the damn thing gonna hit?"  
  
"Re-adjusting time to impact. Ten seconds. The parking lot."  
  
"Which parking lot Shigeru?" Misato asked, her stomach dropping.  
  
"Five seconds. The one north of the hospital, Commander."  
  
'Kaji,' she had time to think before the brightest light she'd seen since third impact washed over her.  
  
"She's gone," Shigeru shuddered.  
  
"Who's gone?" came a surprised voice on the other end of the phone.  
  
"Misato? I mean, Commander Ryoji?  
  
"Yes."  
  
"What happened, I mean, computers tracked the objects until time of impact. We even registered the impact as a seismic event."  
  
"Yeah, they hit. And the room shook, but it's not too bad. Mostly dust falling from the ceiling tiles."  
  
"So you're okay? Everyone's okay?" Shigeru asked, stunned, and gave a thumbs up to Makoto.  
  
"Several doctors are gonna be requesting new cars, but other than that, yeah, we're all fine," Misato answered, somewhat numbly.  
  
"Well if you're all right, and everyone is still alive, then what the hell hit you?"  
  
There was silence on the line for several seconds, as he waited for Misato's response.  
  
"Unit-01 and the Lance of Longinus just landed in the parking lot.  
  
Shinji stood at the window, looking out at his EVA Unit-01. He'd never seen a more beautiful, or more terrifying sight. His EVA, was kneeling there in the parking lot, purple and black armor glistening in the twilight. Not thinking about his injuries, he turned and ran out of the room. Doctor Akagi tried to catch him as he ran by, but he shook her off.  
  
"Let me go, Ritsuko, I have to see it, I have to be with it," he shouted.  
  
The doctor let him go, unable to deny him anything after the emotional and physical trauma he'd suffered this day. 'Maybe this can help comfort him,' she observed. Then her mind began to race. Why was the EVA back, and with the Lance as well?  
  
Shinji ran through the hallways, ignoring the elevators in favor of the stairs, and ran out the front doors of the hospital, past his friends, who were standing there looking up at the giant EVA.  
  
Somewhere in his run, he'd lost the flimsy paper gown that the hospital issued you to preserve your modesty, and he approached his EVA, naked to he world.  
  
He walked beneath it, and stood beneath the massive red S2 Unit, which was pulsing and throbbing. As he stood there he closed his eyes, and 'felt' the EVA. Its strength was still there, waiting to be tapped, waiting for him, but there was something missing. 'Mother,' he thought, "my Mother is no longer within this thing I call EVA. But where did she go? Is she in the Guff now with the other parts of her soul? Is she whole, at piece?'  
  
The sound of footsteps behind him drew his attention. Without turning he knew who it was.  
  
"Misato."  
  
"Shinji. Are you okay? And do you realize you're naked?"  
  
"Yes. To both questions."  
  
Misato noticed that unlike the other occasions where Shinji had been nude before her, this time he wasn't blushing.  
  
"Shinji, what's going on? Why did the EVA come back? How did it come back?"  
  
"I don't know Misato, but I'm about to find out."  
  
"How?" she asked simply.  
  
"Like this," he said, and lifted his hands skyward, toward the pulsing S2 Unit. There was a blinding flash of orange, and a red spotlight answered, stabbing from the S2 Unit towards Shinji. Misato watched as he was pulled up the beam and into the S2 Unit, vanishing from site.  
  
"Shinji," she whispered, as he disappeared.  
  
'It's the subway again,' he sighed to himself, and then realized that his thoughts were audible in this place, where he could hide nothing. He was sitting on the same subway car that he'd sat on so many times in the past year. Somehow this was his subconscious' way of dealing with things that were beyond his simple understanding. Sitting across from him were himself, Rei, and Kaoru. And yet he understood that these were not the real people he knew, but some other manifestation, choosing to reveal themselves in images he'd find familiar.  
  
'Greetings Shinji Ikari," Said the not-Kaoru.  
  
'It is good to see that you understand how to utilize our gift,' said the not-Rei.  
  
'And that you are not afraid to use it,' said the not-Shinji.  
  
'So who are you guys, and why have you brought Unit-01 back to me?' he said.  
  
'You would know us as Angels, Shinji, but not the angels you are familiar with,' said not-Kaoru.  
  
'Explain,' said Shinji.  
  
'Billions of years ago, as your race tells time, the Morning Star thought himself the equal of god, and began a war,' said not-Rei.  
  
'The heavenly host was split into three groups. Those who fought for the Lord, those who followed the Morning Star, and those who refused to fight, and thus remained Neutral,' explained not-Shinji.  
  
'When the war ended, the Forces of the Lord were victorious. As punishment, the Morning Star and his Legion were banished from the presence of god, to the region you know as hell,' not-Kaoru explained.  
  
'You're talking about Satan when you say Morning Star, aren't you,' Shinji stated.  
  
'That is one of his names, yes. Morning Star is the name that our kind knows him by,' said not-Rei.  
  
'So the Morning Star and his Legions were banished, and then the Lord turned his wroth upon those of the choirs who had refused to do battle. Chief amongst this group were the Watchers,' said not-Shinji.  
  
'The Lord banished them, as well, but these non-Blessed did not all fall into hell with the Morning Star. Some were trapped in Purgatory, forced to walk the Earth until the end of time,' not-Kaoru observed.  
  
'These banished and non-Blessed beings became the Angels that you are familiar with. And in their arrogance, they found a way to return to god. By merging with Adam or Lilith they would gain tremendous power, and then destroying all of his greatest work, man as it were, these angels might merge with the raw essence of man contained within the Guff, and thus return to god,' not-Rei added.  
  
'But you defeated these Angels, and stopped their plans,' not-Shinji said.  
  
'And then mankind sought to accomplish the same feat as the non-Blessed,' not-Kaoru stated.  
  
'And you stopped them as well, simply by refusing to accept Instrumentality,' not-Rei admired.  
  
'So who are you? Why are you here? And why now?' Shinji asked.  
  
'We. We are of the chief Choir of Angels, Shinji Ikari. We are three of the greatest warrior angels the universe has ever known. Long ago the Lord looked down upon the Earth, and issued a commandment that the Heavenly Hosts should not interfere in the progress of Man, stating that Man must fight his own battles. Mostly we have honored that order, only occasionally interfering with your progress, or lending a hand when you needed to combat a great evil,' not-Shinji said.  
  
'And you have prevailed, even against yourselves. Until now,' not-Kaoru said flatly.  
  
'Now?' Shinji asked.  
  
'Now you face a new threat. And though we face expulsion from heaven for it, we have caused the return of your Unit-01 and the Lance of Longinus. You will need them for what is coming,' not-Rei said.  
  
'What is coming?' Shinji asked  
  
'The Morning Star. He has seen the way to resume the war, and possibly gain dominion over the Lord, unmaking the Universe, and recasting existence in his image,' not-Shinji said.  
  
'How?' Shinji asked.  
  
'Thru the destruction of humanity, and the completion of instrumentality. At the moment that it occurs, he will merge his essence with the human essences contained within the Guff, and attack the Heavenly host in force,' not-Kaoru explained.  
  
'Since we may not interfere in your destiny, it is up to you, Shinji Ikari, to save your race, and in so doing, preserve the universe,' not-Rei said.  
  
'Okay, but how can I do that. Without the soul of my mother within it, the EVA is not capable of fighting," he said.  
  
'But she is within it. As she is within you,' not-Shinji grinned.  
  
'At the time of third impact you were here, within this EVA. The soul of your mother protected and guarded over you, and when you were absorbed by the Instrumentality, her remaining essence joined with yours,' not-Kaoru explained.  
  
'You, yourself, now provide this EVA with all the power it needs to fight. Your enhanced soul is more than enough to face the battles ahead. But the Legions of the Morning Star are vast and powerful. So the Lance was returned that you might use it's power to claim victory,' not-Rei said.  
  
'As we speak, the first of the Legion is approaching Japan. You must be ready for his attack, for it will be swift and sudden," said not-Shinji.  
  
"Good luck in your battles, Shinji Ikari. We may never meet again. But then again, we may,' said not-Kaoru.  
  
The Angels began to fade.  
  
'Wait, you said I was like this because I was in my EVA at the time of Instrumentality. What about Asuka? Is she like me as well?' he asked, desperately.  
  
Not-Shinji stopped fading, as his companions vanished into the ether.  
  
'Yes Shinji Ikari, your love is as you. She possesses a piece of the soul her mother left behind in her EVA,' not-Shinji said.  
  
'Can you tell me where she is, so I can find her. I need to make sure she is safe,' Shinji begged. He'd not begged anyone for anything, since he'd been forced to destroy Unit-03, with Toji in the Entry Plug. Not since he'd begged his father to make it stop. But now he begged. He begged for her.  
  
'No,' not-Shinji said, and began to fade out again.  
  
'Her destiny has required her to leave you at this time. Whether or not you will ever again be re-united on this Earth is not for me to say. I will leave you with this. You share more than any two mortals have ever shared since Adam and Eve walked in the garden. And because of that, the destiny of one is mirrored by the destiny of the other. So fight Shinji Ikari. For while the Universe way depend upon your continued victory against the Legions of the Fallen, the life of Asuka Langley Soryu depends upon you as well. Farewell. And Trust in the Power and the Blessing of the Lord that you have been granted this day.' And with this last, he was gone.  
  
Shinji sat on the train seat for several more minutes, before it finally began to fade around him.  
  
He blinked, and looked around carefully. Something was not right. Down there was Misato, and Kaji, and several worried looking medical personnel, and his friends. He could see them very plainly, with none of the usual distortion caused by the screens of the Entry Plug. Then he realized, no mater where he looked, he couldn't make out the edges of the cockpit, he tried lifting up his hands to wave in front of his face, and, instead, saw the EVA's hand, waving in front of his eyes. His eyes? No, not his eyes, the EVA's eyes. Shocked, he jerked his head back, and the view changed drastically. Misato and the others jumped back as well, fear showing plainly on their faces.  
  
He wasn't in the EVA.  
  
He WAS the EVA.  
  
Misato watched as the EVA lurched back, away from them. That wasn't the usual smooth style of the operation she was used to. Maybe Shinji was having a hard time with the controls. As she watched, though, the EVA steadied itself, and stood up to its full height. It reached out, and grabbed the Lance of Longinus. The Lance, which was a strange double parabola, suddenly shifted into a single hafted weapon with two tips. This was the same form she had first seen it in, when it had been holding Lilith to the red cross at the heart of NERV Central Dogma.  
  
Unit-01's head looked down on them, and then something truly terrifying happened.  
  
It spoke.  
  
"Misato."  
  
It was speaking in Shinji's voice, yet it was also the deep rumbling basso that was always heard in the berserker roar of the EVA.  
  
"Shinji, are you okay? Do you need help ejecting?" She said, momentarily forgetting that he had not used the Entry Plug to enter the EVA.  
  
"No Misato. I'm not in the Entry Plug, and you know that. The S2 Unit is perfected, and I am now one with the EVA."  
  
"Can you get out?"  
  
"I think so. But listen, that's not important any more, I've been warned that a new threat is coming, and I think you'd better sound an alert. Something's coming. Something bad."  
  
"What Shinji, what's coming, and how do you know its coming?" Misato asked.  
  
"I can't go into that now, Misato, just trust me, evacuate the surface, get to the civilians to the shelters, and get the security forces to the NERV Command Center."  
  
Misato looked like she was about to ask another question, so Shinji stomped his foot, swept his arm across his body, and pointed to the entrance to the subterranean base.  
  
"MISATO GO! I DON'T KNOW HOW MUCH TIME THERE IS!" Shinji/EVA roared.  
  
Misato lifted her cell phone to her lips and started shouting into it. Shinji didn't hear her so much as he tapped into the microwave broadcast of the phone, and listened in on the entire conversation.  
  
"Operations."  
  
"Makoto, it's Misato. Remember that alert we put in but hoped we'd never use? Punch it."  
  
"The ANGEL attack siren?" came the shocked reply.  
  
"That's the one," Misato answered.  
  
"All right, done, better get here fast ma'am, we're gonna have a lot of really scared people calling here very soon."  
  
"Roger, Makoto, We're on our way," Misato answered, as in the distance, a siren began to wail.  
  
Shinji watched as his friends below began to scramble for their cars, and started heading for the NERV base. The civilians retreated to the hospital, probably heading for the shelter deep under the hospital itself.  
  
Then he felt it. Like a darkness creeping over his soul, he could feel it approaching. He began to look around, for some physical trace of it. There, on the western horizon he could see a faint hint of the approaching darkness. Whatever it was, it was moving fast, and heading right for him. He crouched down, holding the Lance before him, like some ancient warrior, preparing for a final battle.  
  
Next on Episode 2:09 of Neon Genesis Evangelion The Legions of the Fallen are unleashed, and only Shinji stands against them. If he fails, the world falls, and the universe with him. All eyes are watching this first battle, and are anxious to see the new capabilities of the EVA Returned.  
  
It's Evangelion Episode 2:09 Crouching toward Nagoya-2, the Beast arrives. 


	9. Episode 2:09

Disclaimer: Neon Genesis Evangelion is Owned by Gainax. Buy the DVD's of the Series and the Movies from them. I did, and it was worth every dime. I don't own anything except my DVD's, and this is done for my own satisfaction.  
  
Episode 2:09 Crouching toward Nagoya-2, the Beast arrives.  
  
Takes place after 1st season, and the End of Evangelion Movie.  
  
Presumed date is Sunday June 12th, 2016  
  
Misato strode into the NERV Command Center, and, immediately the two technicians on duty snapped to attention and saluted.  
  
"Situation report."  
  
"Ma'am. The Shepherd reported an anomaly coming out of Lake Biwa, three miles south of Nagahama. Since then it has been traveling over land at nearly 100 kph, and should reach us here within the next six to eight minutes."  
  
"Pattern?"  
  
"Pattern Blue, Angel confirmed. But the computer has registered a 0.999% variation between this Angel and all previously encountered Angels."  
  
"Get me Shinji."  
  
"Roger Ma'am, patching communications though to Unit-01 now."  
  
Misato sat looking at a blank screen. There was the interior of the Entry Plug, the place that Shinji usually sat, but there was no Shinji. Instead, his clothing, the cloths he had been wearing six months ago, during Third Impact, floated within the LCL.  
  
"Shinji?"  
  
"Yes, Misato," Shinji/EVA replied.  
  
"Um, we're looking at the entry plug, and you're cloths are there, but not you. Are you sure you're alright?"  
  
"Fine Misato. In fact I've never felt better. This is incredible. I can't describe it to you, except to say that I AM EVA."  
  
Misato shook her head, finding that very disturbing. "Shinji, we have data regarding the new Angel."  
  
"They're not really Angels Misato. I was told they are the Legion of the Fallen. And after what I've just been through, I think I'd like to call them the Legion. I'll never be comfortable calling them Angels again."  
  
"Okay Shinji, you're the expert on this new threat. Legion they are. Makoto says you have a Legion heading for you at 100 kph from the west on a heading of 274 degrees relative. Are you ready?"  
  
"More than ever," he said, twirling the Lance of Longinus before him.  
  
"Um. Guy's can we get an external view through the EVA's head cams? Looking at that empty Entry Plug brings up some pretty terrible memories."  
  
"Sure Commander, just a moment. There you go, Ma'am, External Monitors activated."  
  
The view changed, and now Misato was seeing what Shinji was seeing. The Lance was spinning easily in Shinji/EVA's right hand. Evidently he'd picked up some skills in that Traditional Arts class he'd taken last year. He hadn't wanted to sign up for it, but Misato insisted that it would compliment his Military training through NERV. He'd had training in the use of the Boken and the Staff.  
  
"Making use of that TA instruction from school finally?"  
  
"Yes, Misato." Shinji/EVA sighed. Suddenly Shinji crouched down even more, and the Lance lay out before him, along the street, yet still gripped tightly in his hand.  
  
"Do you see it?" Misato asked.  
  
"Yes. Can you pick it up on the cameras? There's a strange dark crimson aura coming down the valley there."  
  
"Nothing here Shinji. Wait. There's a dust trail. Is that it?"  
  
"It's not in the dust trail, the Legion is making the trail. Man that thing is ugly."  
  
"What is it?"  
  
"I don't know, some kind of animal, but it's huge, bigger than anything I've ever seen."  
  
Misato could finally see a small shape at the head of the dust trail, and tried to get a good look at it. The screen blurred slightly as Shinji leaped into action. He was running flat out, Lance held low and at the ready in his right hand. The thing coming towards him, what ever it was, had detected him, and was zeroing in on him.  
  
"Damn it Shinji, can you hold your head still for a moment so we can get a good look at it. We don't have the sensors here that we had in Tokyo-3. Without your eye's we're blind down here," Misato complained.  
  
"Look at it when it's dead, Misato, I'm busy. rrrrRRRRRRAAAAAAA," he growled as he engaged the creature.  
  
He stabbed at it with the Lance, hoping for a quick kill, but the thing batted the Lance away with such force, that it was ripped out of his hand, and landed almost a mile away.  
  
"Well THAT'S not a good thing," Misato said.  
  
On the screen she could see Shinji spare only a momentary glance at the Lance before heading in to grapple with the Legion. Whatever it was, it had four limbs, and an odd musculature that was entirely visible. The Eva's head shook under a thunderous impact, and the camera mount came free. Designed for severe stress under combat, the unit survived it's crash to the ground, but was pointed uselessly into the corner of a building.  
  
"Damn it. Shinji are you alright? Speak to me!" Misato said.  
  
Grunt. "Yes Misato?" Crash, Crash, Boom! "Look I'm a little busy now, sorry, I can't talk more, I'll see you when this thing," Grunt "is DEAD!"  
  
Shinji broke contact with the NERV facility and concentrated everything on the battle he was involved in. As soon as he got out of here, he was going to give up Retrieval Piloting, and find an instructor in Martial Arts, to teach him hand-to-hand combat. Knowing Judo would be a huge help right now.  
  
The THING was built like a monstrous bear, that had then had it's eyes gouged out, it's skin ripped off, and it's claws replaced by steel daggers. The thing took a swipe at Shinji, and he raised his left arm, his AT field snapping up to form a shield, protecting him from attack. Mostly. The force of the attack knocked his arm sideways, across his body, and spun him around.  
  
THIS was getting him nowhere. This thing would keep knocking him around until it finally wore him down and killed him. He had to go on the offensive. And that meant retrieving the Lance. He'd made a break for the Lance on three separate occasions, and been blocked by the creature.  
  
Shinji hatched a plan of desperation, and circled the creature, until his back was oriented toward where the Lance lay.  
  
He struck at the creature with his right hand, bringing up his shield arm. The beast drove him back with a terrible crashing blow, and Shinji picked himself up, a little closer to the lance, but still with his back to it. He struck again, and again, picked himself up, a little closer to the Lance. He wasn't sure how close he was, but he hoped it was close enough. He turned around, facing the Lance. There it was. So near. He jumped for it.  
  
And missed. The thing had jumped upon his back, and was crushing his head within its jaws, and raking him with its paws. The pain was unbearable. This was worse than anything he'd ever experience within an EVA before. And the Lance was just too far out of reach. He scrabbled at it, trying to bring it too him, but he couldn't reach it.  
  
The thing wrenched his head back, and shook it from side to side.  
  
'Good thing Misato can't see this, she'd either cry or get sick,' he thought through the pain.  
  
"Shinji's AT field is Collapsing," came a transmission from the Command Center.  
  
"What? Shinji? Shinji come in. What's going on out there, we're totally blind in her? Damn it!" Misato swore.  
  
Like a rag doll in a dogs jaws Shinji was tossed around beneath the creature. The pain was overwhelming, and he was starting to pass out. His vision was graying at the edges, and was starting to collapse into a single pinpoint of light. The gray was turning black.  
  
Black.  
  
Black.  
  
Darkness closing in all around him.  
  
'The destiny of one is mirrored by the destiny of the other.'  
  
What was that?  
  
Oh yes, that was something not-Shinji had said.  
  
The pain was fading now, only the occasional wrenching agony penetrating the haze.  
  
'For while the Universe may depend upon your continued victory'  
  
It was so peaceful.  
  
'against the Legions of the Fallen'  
  
Jeez didn't these guys ever shut up?  
  
The pain was almost gone now, it felt very peaceful.  
  
'the life of Asuka Langley Soryu depends upon you as well.'  
  
'Asuka,' he thought dreamily.  
  
'Shinji? Shinji is that really you?'  
  
'No. I'm not really me. I'm the EVA. And the Legion have beaten me. This sucks, it was only my first fight, and I blew it.'  
  
'The who? Shinji, what do you mean you're the EVA, and you've been beaten?'  
  
'Don't worry, it's alright. The pains gone now, and I can finally die.'  
  
'Shinji, don't die. What ever you do. Don't die.'  
  
'You're almost as big a pain in the ass as that damn not-Shinji, you know that Asuka?'  
  
'Not-Shinji?'  
  
'Yeah, that's what I said. The not-Shinji. He told me the whole damn Universe, and God were depending on me to beat the Legions of the Fallen. Ever hear a more ridiculous bunch of crap?'  
  
'Shinji what are you fighting?'  
  
'A big naked demon bear. See he knocked the spear out of my reach, so I tried to get it, but he was too fast. I think he's about to crush my skull.'  
  
'Shinji, no.' the sound of weeping  
  
'Shinji?'  
  
'Mmm, yeah?'  
  
'Fight this thing Shinji, you can do it. I know you can.'  
  
'Why? It won't do any good. They wouldn't let me come to you. Told me I had to stay here and be the Savior or Humanity.'  
  
'And you can be. You will be. I know you Shinji, you don't give up. Not when it's really important. You saved me time and time again in the EVA's and I never thanked you.'  
  
'No problem Asuka, I'd do it for you all over again. Well, except I'm gonna be dead in a minute, so I guess I can't. I'm sorry.'  
  
'Don't you apologize. You fight. Fight this thing like you've never fought before.'  
  
'What's the point Asuka. I'll just keep having to keep fighting. It'll be just like before. Misato will become like my Father. She has to; she's the commander of NERV. That's what they do.'  
  
'No Shinji, she won't, she's not like that. Do you know what the last thing she told me was?'  
  
'No idea.'  
  
'She asked me if I was thinking about how much you love me. And then she wanted to know if you'd told me before I lifted off.'  
  
'Oh, you mean when...'  
  
'When I ran you down, Shinji. I'm sorry.'  
  
'Hey, none of that, I'm the one who says that. Quit stealing my apologies.'  
  
'Were you hurt much?'  
  
'Bah. No big deal. I died. I got better. End of story.'  
  
Sob 'You died?'  
  
'Yeah. Not the first time you know. I've always come back before.  
  
'Oh. Anyway, Misato said that you'd always loved me.'  
  
'Yeah. I felt it the first time we were in your EVA, and we Synced to beat that under water Angel. That was when I knew. Couldn't say anything though. You'd have killed me.'  
  
'Jerk, no I wouldn't have.'  
  
'Yeah you would have Asuka. You don't love me, so it's no big deal if you kill me right?'  
  
'Who says I don't?'  
  
'Everyone accept Hikari. She really got my hopes up there for a while, but that's okay, I forgive her for lying to me. She just wanted to spare my feelings. Hey, tell her goodbye for me, if you ever see her again will you? Her and the guys. I'll miss them a bunch.'  
  
'Shinji, don't die. You can't die. You have to live. You have to fight. You have to win.'  
  
'Go! Fight! Win! Hurray for team EVA.'  
  
'Shinji, are you paying attention to me?'  
  
'Sorry, getting kinda light headed here. Must be just about over. It's a lot more peaceful than the last couple times, you know. At least I didn't end up in the damn subway again.'  
  
'The subway?'  
  
'Never mind. You had to be there. Although you were a couple times, but then I guess that those were really not-Asuka's weren't they.' Laugh  
  
'You're making less and less sense Shinji.'  
  
'Well I guess you do that when you die.'  
  
Can you kill a man in cold blood, just because he's trying to tell you that he's in love with you?  
  
'What was that Shinji?'  
  
'Hmm? Oh, that. Nothing, just one of the memories that I'm seeing. You know, this whole life before your eyes thing is really over rated. I mean, there's no pause, no slow mo, no rewind, no chapter skip, no index. Kinda sucks really.'  
  
'I remember that too Shinji, I'm sorry.'  
  
'Asuka, what have I told you, that's MY line, I'm not gonna warn you again. I think that would be considered plagiarism.'  
  
DON'T LEAVE ME! AISHITERU!!" (I love you)  
  
'Was that another memory?'  
  
'Hmm? Oh that. Yeah don't you remember? That's what I yelled after you left the Reception hall.'  
  
'Goofball, I wasn't there so how could I hear you.'  
  
'Oh that's right. I'm sorry. Ha. See there, I was finally able to tell you how I feel, and you weren't around to hear it.' yawn 'So tired. Could you just talk to me until I fall asleep? Like you did when we first Awakened?'  
  
'Shinji you can't sleep, you can't give up, you have to fight this.'  
  
'Nah, but thanks for the advice. It's really too late now. I think it's about to rip my head off my body.'  
  
'Shinji.' sob 'Shinji do you know why I left?'  
  
'Yeah, we just discussed this didn't we? You hate me.'  
  
'No Shinji, I don't. I'm scared. That's why I left.'  
  
'You. Asuka. Scared? Yeah right, tell me another one.'  
  
'Really Shinji. See I didn't believe that anyone could love me or even accept me for myself, because no-one ever has before. The only person I could ever depend on was myself.'  
  
'Hey, I've been there for you a LOT.'  
  
'I know Shinji, and that's just it. I was so conceited, so self absorbed, that I didn't see it. And then I blew it.'  
  
YOU IDIOT!  
  
'See Shinji even your memories agree with me. I'm not a good person.'  
  
'Hey have you noticed that these memory things are running backwards, but people are still talking forward?'  
  
'Pay attention Shinji!'  
  
yawn 'Okay, just for a little bit longer though. I've got to go soon.'  
  
'Shinji. Now I need you to listen to me, I need you to understand. I realize now that you didn't set up the situation at the reception, and I shouldn't have reacted that way. But I had to leave, afterwards. I decided that I have to go home and settle some things with myself. I've been so isolated and alone for so long that I can't even hear my own heart anymore.'  
  
'Okay.'  
  
'Shinji, I know you love me. But before I can let you love me, I have to love myself. Do you understand that? It's either that or I'll eventually tear us apart. And I couldn't stand that because it would destroy you.'  
  
'I understand. That's awfully nice of you Asuka. Thanks'  
  
'But you have to live Shinji. I can't ever come back to you, if you aren't there to come back to.'  
  
'No I suppose not.'  
  
'So you need to wake up and start fighting this thing. Keep fighting. Keep winning. And someday, I promise, I'll return to you.'  
  
'...'  
  
'Shinji?'  
  
'...'  
  
'Shinji!'  
  
'...'  
  
'SHINJI YOU BAKA WAKE UP!'  
  
'no. I'm gonna die now Asuka. I'll see you on the other side, I guess.'  
  
'Shinji? Shinji-chan? Shinji-chan can you hear me?  
  
'...'  
  
soft sobs 'Shinji-chan, please don't die.'  
  
'...'  
  
'Shinji-Chan. SHINJI-CHAN SUKARISHITE'(Don't Leave Me/ Don't Die!)  
  
The Legion beast had crushed and ripped Unit-01's body, until the joints were all dislocated, and most of the bones were broken.  
  
Misato had long ago given up trying to rouse Shinji on the communications network, after the remaining NERV personnel had managed to get a satellite surveillance camera aimed to the site of the battle. The Shinji/EVA was down, and no one had any hope it was ever getting up again.  
  
The creature was now standing with all four legs atop the EVA, and was trying to rip his head off with its jaws.  
  
"... have to wait ..." it was barely a whisper.  
  
Misato looked up at the screen.  
  
Was she imagining things or had Unit-01's right arm just healed itself.  
  
"... can't abandon her, can't abandon them..." it was a little louder this time, but where was it coming from?  
  
No. No she wasn't imagining it. There was that flash of an AT field around the legs of the EVA, and they suddenly straightened from their numerous awkward angles.  
  
"Shinji?" Misato whispered into the receiver.  
  
"ASUKA-CHAN!"  
  
"CODE ORANGE! AT FIELD DETECTED! THE READINGS ARE OFF THE SCALE!" Shigeru shouted.  
  
On the Satellite transmission Unit-01 was suddenly up again, snapping out its destroyed left arm. There was an orange flash of light, and the arm was repaired. Whole.  
  
The Legion charged Shinji. Casually, with almost no effort, he grabbed the thing under the throat, and lifted it free of the ground. It slashed at him again and again, but every time it connected, an orange flash would instantly heal the wound.  
  
"NO YOU DON'T! SHE TOLD ME I HAD TO LIVE! SHE TOLD ME I HAD TO WAIT FOR HER! SHE TOLD ME SHE'D COME BACK! AND I PROMISED HER I WOULD WAIT FOR HER FOREVER IF I HAD TO, KONO YARU!"  
  
Shinji/Eva extended his right arm, and the Lance of Longinus flew through the air, and into his outstretched hand, called to the side of its master. Suddenly the Lance transformed yet again, and now it appeared to be an EVA sized Katana. With a single slash, the beasts head flew free of its body. Shinji released the lifeless body, and walked over to the head, which he stomped on. The skull of the beast crumbled, and the Legion's small dark S2 unit was revealed. Shinji lifted it before his eyes, held it there briefly, and crushed it.  
  
"It's gone, the Legion has been destroyed," Makoto reported.  
  
Misato was crying in joy. Shinji was alive. And he'd beaten that thing. On the screen the Lance remained in the form of a Katana, but a soft orange glow formed around it, and a sheath appeared to surround it. Standing up tall. Shinji/EVA turned and walked toward the Airfield, finally stopping in one of the larger spaces reserved for transport craft, it knelt down, balanced on the balls of it's feet, and planted the sword before it, gripping the handle for balance, and bowed its head, as a Samurai awaiting it's lords pleasure. There was a flash on the screen, and a moment later, Shinji Ikari, nude and shivering walked out of the shadow of the EVA and looked around.  
  
Ten minutes later Toji's SUV and Misato's Sports car crested the rise overlooking the airbase, and came speeding though the gates. Toji was the first to come to a stop, and leapt from his car, looking for Shinji.  
  
"Shinji? Shinji! Where are you?"  
  
"Toji! Here I am, over here," came a voice from behind the cars.  
  
"Well come on out here buddy, and lets give you a hero's welcome."  
  
"I don't think so Toji."  
  
"Why not?"  
  
"Toji. I'm naked."  
  
Toji and the others, who had walked up behind him as he talked to Shinji, burst into laughter.  
  
"Hang on a minute buddy, I left a change of cloths in the back of the car." He left, and returned quickly with a black jogging suit. Shinji gratefully took the cloths and put them on, and then walked out from behind the car he'd been using as cover.  
  
"Thanks Toji."  
  
"No problem, Shinji."  
  
"Shinji, I'm so proud of you," Misato said crying, and rushing up to hug him.  
  
"Misato? Did you realize that you're still wearing your wedding dress and that it's ruined? There's blood all over it," Shinji pointed out.  
  
"And you can expect to get my dry cleaning bill you jerk!" she cried.  
  
"Come on, I don't know about anyone else, but I think we have a wedding reception to attend," Kaji said.  
  
"Kaji, you can't be serious, the wedding was yesterday," Shinji observed.  
  
"I don't care. We were enjoying a beautiful wedding reception, and I mean to pick up where we left off. Come on Misato," he said, grabbing his wife by the arm.  
  
Twenty minutes later found the six of them back at the Temple and Reception Hall. Sure enough, they were the only ones here. The guests, abandoned by the kids and the newlyweds, had eventually drifted off. Their presents were still here, and they decided to go ahead and open them later at home. Misato glanced around and noticed her bouquet of roses. She grinned.  
  
"Well, are you ready for this?" she asked Hikari.  
  
"What?" she exclaimed, looking around wildly. "Aren't there supposed to be a lot of other girls here?"  
  
"Normally, but I think I like this arrangement. Here goes," she said, turning her back to Hikari, and tossing the flowers into the air. The flowers landed right in Hikari's outstretched hands.  
  
"Hey, don't forget this," Kaji said, running his hand up Misato's leg, and rubbing the garter through her dress.  
  
"Oh, that's right," she said, turning to kiss him.  
  
"Okay boys, line up," she called, and pulled a chair towards her. Seeing the boys trying to figure out what to do, she just smiled. She hiked her dress up, and put her foot on top of the seat, allowing Kaji to slide the garter down her leg. It also allowed the boys to see up her dress quite a ways, and the tops of her stockings and the clips of her Garter Belt were plainly visible. Toji turned around to toss the Garter, and found three boys with severe nosebleeds.  
  
"THAT'S MY WIFE YOU'RE DROOLING OVER!" he shouted in mock annoyance, snapping all three boys out of it. "Okay guys, here it comes," he said, turning his back, and tossing it over his head. He heard a gasp, a loud thunk, and laughter, and had to turn around to see what had happened. Toji, evidently in the center, had had the fortune to have the garter land right in his face. Overwhelmed by the implications, and the fact that so intimate a piece of Misato's apparel was hanging right before his eyes, the poor lad had fainted dead away.  
  
"Somebody wake him up, while I get us some music," he laughed, heading out to the car. Once there he opened the trunk and pulled out his portable boom box and CD Player. He brought them back in, connected them, and put in a custom mix CD. As the first song swelled he and Misato, and a revived Toji and Hikari began to dance.  
  
Shinji sat in a chair, overlooking the dance floor, next to Kensuke. He wore the most beatific smile on his face that anyone had ever seen.  
  
"So tell me Shinji, after everything that's happened in the last day, why are you still so happy?" Kensuke asked.  
  
"Because Kensuke, I got to kiss Asuka. And I told her that I love her. And then, when I was fighting the Legion, I had a vision. Asuka told me that she'd be back, and made me promise to wait for her. And I will Kensuke; I'll wait until she returns. I'll wait forever if I have to." Shinji smiled to himself, wrapping his arms around his shoulders and squeezing himself tight. Remembering all the good and the bad times he and Asuka had shared together. He couldn't wait.  
  
He got up and walked to the punch bowl and got himself a large cup, and took a sip. Suddenly a thought occurred to him, and he shouted so he could be heard over the music.  
  
"Hey Kensuke, do you know what happened to my Bike? In all the excitement I forgot about it."  
  
Four pairs of eyes, belonging to the dancing couples, turned to stair at the bespectacled youth.  
  
"Uh. Shinji, about your bike..."  
  
Next on Episode 2:10 of Neon Genesis Evangelion Asuka has her mind set on returning to Germany, but things will disrupt her plans, and instead of a short trip taking hours, it will become a test of her character, her will to survive, and her physical stamina.  
  
It's Evangelion Episode 2:10 A new life 


	10. Episode 2:10

Disclaimer: Neon Genesis Evangelion is Owned by Gainax. Buy the DVD's of the Series and the Movies from them. I did, and it was worth every dime. I don't own anything except my DVD's, and this is done for my own satisfaction.  
  
Episode 2:10 A new life  
  
Takes place after 1st season, and the End of Evangelion Movie.  
  
Presumed date is Saturday June 11th, 2016  
  
Asuka drifted high in the atmosphere over Mongolia, most of her fuel load expended from the initial acceleration that carried her up and away from Japan. Her eyes were red and puffy, but she'd finally stopped crying somewhere over China.  
  
She couldn't believe this had all happened. It had started out as one of the best days of her life, and it kept getting better and better, until it had all crashed down around her, just like it always did. Why did these things always happen to her.  
  
She'd woken up this morning with a phone call from Ritsuko. The seamstress making her dress had made it wrong, and was very sorry, but it was too small for her. She and Misato had tried to come up with another solution, but they'd finally decided that Ritsuko would just have to give up her place as Matron of Honor.  
  
They were pretty sure that the dress would fit, Asuka, however, so would she please, please be the Matron of Honor. She'd agreed, and when she arrived at the Temple, Ritsuko had brought out the beautiful red dress.  
  
It seemed almost to meld itself to her, when she put it on, and she didn't stop to think about how well it fit, she was so happy to be wearing it in Misato's wedding. Her foster mother had asked her, HER, to be the Maid of Honor. Admittedly, she was the second choice in an emergency, but still.  
  
Then Ritsuko had come up with the idea of performing the ceremony herself, and having Professor Fuyutsuki walk Misato down the aisle as her father figure. Everything was working out just great.  
  
She'd spent several hours helping Misato get dressed, and laughed at her attack of nerves when she started blathering about not being good enough for Kaji. Asuka had laughed and teased her, that if she didn't want to go through with it, the hall was already rented, and Kaji was in a Tux, so SHE'D have to marry him. The image of the 14 year old girl marrying Kaji had sent them all into laughing fits.  
  
Misato and Ritsuko both knew that she no longer had a crush on Kaji, and the thought of her sacrificing herself to keep him happy was just too funny.  
  
'If I'd known then what this was all about, I'd have stormed out and never come back,' she thought to herself.  
  
Then it was time, and the processional had begun. She started down the aisle, nervous, but happy. She felt almost as if she was the one getting married. And then she'd seen him. Standing there next to Kaji in his tux. And he looked so damn good. The few times she'd ridden with him lately, she'd felt the developing muscles under his shirts and jacket, but hadn't noticed it until now. He was always wearing those loose damn button down shirts.  
  
But now.  
  
'Be still my heart,' she'd thought, as she'd taken her place on the stairs. She kept looking at him, but had to be careful. He was staring at her even more, and that made her heart beat so fast, she thought she was going to pass out.  
  
'He's looking at me,' she'd thought giddily, 'He can't take his eyes off me.'  
  
And then the ceremony was over, and she'd had to walk back down the aisle. This time arm in arm with Shinji. Most of the rest of that time was a blur, right up until the dancing had begun.  
  
Misato had looked so beautiful, there on the dance floor with Kaji. She was so happy that her foster mother had finally found happiness. Then Shinji, in his soft, nervous voice had asked her to dance. She really wanted to, but she didn't want anyone else to know that, especially Shinji. That idiot had never picked up an any of the clues she'd dropped, about how much she liked him, so she hadn't thought he'd figure it out now. But he'd managed to ask her anyway.  
  
Maybe because it was a tradition, but she hoped, more because he really wanted to dance with her, he'd taken her out onto the floor. And he could dance. He could really dance. If last week you'd asked her if Shinji Ikari could dance, she'd have laughed, and told you he was the biggest clumsiest blockhead she knew. But she was wrong, he could dance.  
  
And there in his arms, she'd felt safer and more loved than she had ever felt in her whole life. At least safer than she could ever remember. Then he'd looked down at her, actually looked down. She'd missed it, but he'd grown taller than she had. If he wasn't always slouching, she'd have noticed it before. She liked the idea of Shinji being taller than her. And they had become lost in each others eyes, as they moved around the dance floor.  
  
Then the world had just seemed to spin away, and as she'd leaned into him, she'd closed her eyes. She really hoped that his time she could keep her ego in check, and keep from insulting him. She wanted to kiss him, but she remembered the last time they'd kissed, she'd wrecked it for him. Plugging his nose so he couldn't breath. And he'd given a pretty decent account of himself. She still remembered that first kiss.  
  
Now, she didn't plug his nose, she didn't force him into it. Instead she'd offered herself to him, and to her surprise, he'd accepted. There lips had touched, and as the kiss deepened they'd just held each other there, oblivious to the rest of the world. She'd felt something in her, something long buried, rising up to the surface. She knew what it was, but she was afraid to acknowledge the word. Four little letters had her terrified as no Angel ever had. Even the Angel that had tried to enter her mind, was nothing to this emotion.  
  
But she couldn't bring herself to admit it. Not to him, not to herself. She had too much pride to admit it, but as they'd kissed, she'd begun to realize that that pride was what was holding her back. He didn't deserve a hollow shell of a woman. The man who could bring this out of her, who could convey so much of himself in this one kiss deserved a woman who really... who really... she couldn't even think the word. Even now.  
  
And then, just as she felt like she was going to surrender to him, and give him what she knew he wanted to hear so desperately, that STOOGE had blown the entire thing. As the kiss ended she knew she'd been setup. Misato, Ritsuko, Shinji, Kaji, Hikari, and the rest of the Stooges had set this whole thing up just to humiliate her.  
  
Her anger and rage had boiled up then, and she'd hit him. Not as hard as she'd wanted to, because he was still standing when it was over, but hard enough he wouldn't forget that bruise for a couple weeks. She'd stormed out of the reception, and headed for her F-22. Wanting to put some distance between herself and these idiots, she'd sought the comfort of the sky.  
  
She'd been pulling out onto the runway from the taxiway when she saw it. That flash of gold and black. There was nothing else like it in the world, and her breath had caught as she guessed at how fast he had to be going to make the bike move like that. He was trying to catch up to her. He wanted to stop her. Well not this time. She was going to put some distance between them, and he wasn't going to stop her.  
  
Never mind that he'd never tried to stop her doing anything before, he wasn't going to stop her this one time that he was really trying. Then her helmet comm. had begun the annoying buzz to let her know that someone wanted to talk to her. She'd watch him slew the bike around, blocking the end of the runway, and the last couple hundred meters of it. Well if he thought she wouldn't go right through it anyway to take off, he'd be surprised.  
  
She'd finally answered her comm. with an annoyed, "WHAT?"  
  
"Asuka stop, we need to talk," Shinji had said.  
  
Yeah, right, they needed to talk so he and his friends could laugh about how they'd made the Great Asuka Langley Soryu a complete and utter fool.  
  
"About what. About how you set me up, and then proceeded to humiliate me in front of EVERYBODY?" she'd demanded.  
  
He'd sounded panicked then, and so soft an apologetic, she hated when he sounded like that. Why couldn't he be strong like she wanted him to be?  
  
"Asuka, no, I didn't do that to you. I could never do that to you. We need to talk about US, about what just happened, about... you know you're coming towards me really fast?" he'd said.  
  
About time you noticed Shinji. Several tons of hurtling aircraft under full power does tend to move pretty fast.  
  
"Get out of the way Third Child, or I swear I'll run you over," she'd growled at him.  
  
He'd know she meant business. There was no way he was going to keep her from taking off. She needed some time to calm down from this little prank. She couldn't face the others right now, and out of the corner of her eye she saw Toji's rig come flying through the gate. They were here to laugh at her. She'd let her defenses down for ONCE, and they'd never let her live it down.  
  
"Asuka, you haven't called me that since the first day after we awakened. Do you have to start now Asuka-Chan?"  
  
'Oh god, he's still playing the part. That BASTARD! And that soft little catch in his voice,' she'd fumed.  
  
"Don't you dare use that tone with me Shinji Ikari, it won't do you any good. I am the Great Asuka Langley Soryu, and I will NOT be stopped by the likes of you."  
  
There, maybe now he'd get out of the way. He'd better hurry, she was almost on top of him.  
  
"If you want to get airborne Asuka, you're gonna have to go thru me. Can you do that Asuka? Can you kill a man in cold blood, just because he's trying to tell you that he's in love with you?" he'd asked.  
  
Asuka started to breath fast again, and now the tears came. How cruel could he be. He told her he loved her just go play some joke on her. He'd even called her Asuka-Chan. That JERK!  
  
Then he was talking again, as she hurtled toward him, he wasn't moving out of the way, he was really going to stand there and let her run him over.  
  
'What does that idiot think he's doing? This is too much, even for a prank like this, he could get seriously hurt,' she'd thought. He was GOING to get seriously hurt if he didn't get off the tarmac right now.  
  
His voice sounded thick with emotion as she'd realized it was too late, he wouldn't clear her jet wash in time. He was probably going to get killed, but he was still talking to her, still trying to get her to stop, as if that could happen now. If she didn't take off and clear him, she'd kill them both. The only chance either of them had was if she could just make the jet take off a little sooner than it wanted to. She punched power to the engine, and pulled back on the stick. Hoping it would be enough, knowing it wasn't.  
  
"Asuka. Please. Don't do this," he'd said, holding his arms out in front of him, almost like he was begging her. He let out one final shriek as she yanked back on the stick and hoped it would be enough to save him. "ASUKA!" she'd heard him scream, sounding like some kind of wounded dying animal.  
  
"LEAVE ME ALONE!" she'd screamed back at almost the same instant, and then the comm. had died, the connection broken.  
  
She'd felt a horrible impact, then and she knew what it was, she'd cleared the bike, but some part of her landing gear had to have clipped Shinji. Nothing else could explain the lurch skyward her plane had taken. She'd hit him. At over 200 miles per hour, she'd hit him with her jet.  
  
And he'd just said he loved her.  
  
She hadn't believed him when he'd said it, she'd been to upset, but now...  
  
Oh god.  
  
Shinji.  
  
She'd banked the plane, and looked out over her wingtip. Pieces of the bike were coming to rest hundreds of feet into the bog at the end of the runway, and a black clad figure was among the wreckage.  
  
No.  
  
A black helmet was splashing through the reeds, tearing its own solitary path.  
  
Shinji's black helmet.  
  
The one he'd been wearing so he could talk to her.  
  
She'd turned to leave then, wanting nothing more than peace.  
  
Misato had come on the comm. and said some useless angry things. She'd also talked about Shinji loving her. And she said it too.  
  
Misato thought Shinji was probably dead.  
  
Asuka couldn't face that, not if what he'd said was true, what Misato said was true. She couldn't ever face herself again. Better to die than to live with what she'd done to that poor silly boy. All he'd ever wanted to do was make her happy. He'd cooked her favorite meals, taken care of her when she was sick, and put himself between her and an Angels attack time and time again.  
  
Well who asked him, but she knew. She didn't have to ask him. He'd loved her, even if he couldn't admit it until the end. The end that shouldn't have been, but she'd ended it. Forever.  
  
She couldn't return to Japan now. They'd all blame her for killing their Messiah, that was how the others would look on her. They thought Shinji was their Messiah, the new Christ, who'd given mankind back it's existence. But he was more than that, he was Shinji, and that meant more than any of them could ever know. He was kind, even if it hurt him. He'd fight for them, even if it meant he had to be broken and beaten to win. And now, like all good Messiah's, he'd died for them. No. He died for her. Because of her.  
  
The tears began to pour from her eyes, and she was wracked with sobs, as she engaged the autopilot, and headed west.  
  
Maybe just maybe she could return to Germany. To her homeland. And there she'd do her best to honor Shinji's memory, by becoming the kind of woman he really deserved. Even if it took forever.  
  
Now, cried out, and exhausted beyond belief, she just wanted a place to land a refuel. Heck, a place to land would be enough. Even if she couldn't find fuel, just getting down safe would be a blessing at this point. She was on vapors.  
  
Then she saw it, in the gathering dark, a long strip of gray in the midst of the green, right on the edge of the Russian steppes. An airfield. She banked the F-22, and deployed her air brakes, slowing down, until she was cruising towards the landing strip at the perfect speed for a touchdown. There were several Russian jets parked along the sides of the runway in front of their hangars, but, thankfully, nothing on the runway to block her path.  
  
She touched down at the Russian Airbase in Novosibirsk at a few minutes before local sunset. She taxied down the runway, until she came to the end, where a long string of buildings looking like barracks for the Russian pilots were, and stopped. Killing her electronics, she grabbed the survival gear out of the plane, and started to explore, hoping she wouldn't find anything dangerous, and would find a place to spend the night in some comfort.  
  
Very early the next morning Asuka walked out of the barracks where she had spent the night and looked around. It took some searching but she eventually found the mess hall, and a well stocked kitchen. The perishable food had long since rotted away, and only the canned goods remained. She pulled a can opener from her emergency sack, and opened a can of peaches. As she slurped them down, she gathered other cans and stuffed them into her pack, for later. She found several tins of tuna, and canned chicken, and opened one, greedily gulping it down.  
  
Finished with her breakfast, she returned to where her F-22 was parked, and began looking around the field for some fuel. She found it, but it was useless. Fuel normally had stabilizers in it, allowing it to remain in it's liquid state, and useful for long periods of time, but some aircraft fuels had special additives that had other properties. One of these additives made the fuel foam when it was sprayed, rather than turning into a combustible vapor, which made it very safe. It also made the fuel turn into a solid mass of something like gelatin, if it was left in it's tanks too long without stiring.  
  
Evidently no one had been here to stir this batch.  
  
Well, it looked like she was on foot, until she could find a car that worked. Turning, she walked back to the barracks, and tried to start every vehicle in the lot. Not one of them did more than click when she turned the key. Their batteries had discharged in their months of inattention. Well, it looked like she was going to have to go into the city proper to see if she could find a car with a good battery, or maybe a new battery in some shop that she could swap out for a dead one.  
  
She had difficulty reading the street sighs, and the few phone booths did not have directories or even maps of the city. She was tired and frustrated when she heard the sound. Footsteps. One than one persons footsteps, and they were coming towards her. She could hear their shuffling approach, as they moved, sought cover, and moved again, ever closer.  
  
Finally she saw a shadow move, and she said in what she hoped was a good approximation of Russian, "Hello, I know you're there, come out."  
  
There was a loud whispering, and three ragged men appeared, boxing her in with a large building at her back.  
  
"Hi guys, you wouldn't know where I could rent a car would you?" she asked nervously. She'd never seen men look that way in real life. That sort of lost vacant expression that said they were capable of anything.  
  
They said nothing, instead one of them moved closer to her, taking a knife from a hip sheath, and brandishing it.  
  
"Now look I don't want any trouble," she said. This wasn't good each of these men outweighed her by probably double. They were well fed, but hungry for something else, and Asuka had the distinct impression she was on their menu.  
  
'Great where's Shinji when I need him,' she thought, and instantly regretted it. Then, while she was watching the one with the knife, the one behind her grabbed a handful of her hair, and twisted it, snapping her head back towards him. He put a blade to her exposed neck.  
  
"You come look for excitement, eh?" he said, his breath foul  
  
"We give you excitement. You have wonderful date with all three of us. You be nice and maybe we let you keep pretty hair and face," he said, dragging the knife down her cheek.  
  
Asuka screamed, and tried to fight her way clear, but they threw her down and began kicking her. She caught a blow to her head, and one to the stomach, and began to gasp for air. One of the men stood between her legs and kicked her as hard as he could in the crotch with his steel toed boots. Asuka felt something explode under the assaults, and passed out from the pain.  
  
She dreamed then.  
  
She dreamed that Shinji was calling her name, and that he was desperately hurt. In her dream she spoke to him at length, explaining why she needed to return to Germany, to be away from him. He said he understood, but then he said it was time for him to die. She sobbed, and wanted to know why, and he'd told her of a destiny, and a new danger, one that was killing him even as he spoke to her. She couldn't bring herself to say what she wanted him to know, but she had to give him hope. So she told him to wait for her, and that she'd be back, if he just waited. Satisfied, the dream Shinji had appeared to awaken from the dream, and vanished. Asuka too, slowly faded from her dream, vanishing as she drifted into a deeper, healing, sleep.  
  
When she awoke hours later, she was in a small clearing within the nearby forest. Her clothes were ripped to shreds and she was bleeding from numerous cuts. She cried. They'd had their way with her unconscious body, and left her for dead. It was a miracle she was alive at all. The attack, passing out, that odd dream, none of it seamed real, and even now it was fading.  
  
She got unsteadily to her feet, and wondered away from the city, which she could see though a hole in the trees. She came out onto a large farm. There were several breaches in the fences that circled the place, and a few cattle lingered here and there, grazing on the grass and wheat that seemed to be growing in wild abundance here.  
  
There was also a horse. Beautiful, cream colored, with a white blaze and white socks. She walked up to him, speaking softly, and stroked his mane. He accepted her caress, and, when she made a move toward the barn, followed her, as if he knew what was expected. There Asuka found some riding gear, and put it on him along with a saddle bag. It was empty now, but she thought that she could always go back to the airbase and get more supplies. As long as she stayed clear of the city, they'd never know she'd survived.  
  
So she saddled up the horse, and mounted, riding him leisurely in an arc back to the airfield where she re-equipped herself, before turning the horse and heading west across the Steppes. She hadn't planned on riding a horse all the way to Germany, but you took what you were given in this world. Besides, the horse would be a better companion to her than she would be to the horse, she new.  
  
By the time the sun set, she was miles and miles from the city. Within which the bodies of three men were torn and tattered, nearly squashed flat, but all dead. Killed by a strange orange glow that had erupted from their latest victim, as they had kicked her helpless form into unconsciousness. They had never had the chance to complete the act they had been planning, had never even started, before that weird orange field was crushing them against the wall of the building they stood in front of before propelling the girl into the forest, and then vanishing.  
  
Next on Episode 2:11 of Neon Genesis Evangelion Attempting to discover exactly what he has become, Misato and Ritsuko each talk to Shinji about what happened inside the EVA, and attempt to gain some insights into his ability to join with the EVA. Shinji joins with the EVA so that Ritsuko can run some tests, and discovers his control over his AT field has changed.  
  
It's Evangelion Episode 2:11 Testing the limits.  
  
A/N: Spoiler warning, but a needed explanation for a couple of scenes above.  
  
A couple of people have pointed out that the scene where Asuka is assaulted is rather disturbing. Then her memory of the event, hazy and distorted, doesn't help the situation. I actually planned it that way, so I need to explain.  
  
When Asuka is attacked by the gang, she's beaten pretty severely, and assumes she's been assaulted. She doesn't realize that her AT field kicked in, as she passed out, and killed the men, throwing her clear, and into the forest.  
  
Having never been treated this way before she is shocked and emotionally scarred by the attack. She will eventually find respite and happiness, and even, with the help of a therapist, discover what really happened, but not before it results in the total re-shaping of her personality.  
  
(readers will be told this has happened, but I don't think I'll go into it. Not a happy experience, for most people to read about. I know first hand it's not pleasant to live through)  
  
Between this, and the belief that she's killed Shinji, the Asuka we meet in later chapters will be quite different, and her eventual reunion with the young man will allow her to blossom into the kind of person we all hoped she would someday become.  
  
Thanks for the R&R, I'll try to update every few days, as this thing is just pouring out of me one or two chapters at a time.  
  
Stormofdragons 


	11. Episode 2:11

Disclaimer: Neon Genesis Evangelion is Owned by Gainax. Buy the DVD's of the Series and the Movies from them. I did, and it was worth every dime. I don't own anything except my DVD's, and this is done for my own satisfaction.  
  
Episode 2:11 Testing the limits.  
  
Takes place after 1st season, and the End of Evangelion Movie.  
  
Presumed date is Monday June 13th, 2016  
  
Recovery teams started to clean up of the battle site early the next morning. Almost all personnel were excused from their normal duties, to participate in the cleanup. Shinji, under Misato's orders, stayed home, slept in, finally waking up just before 11 o'clock.  
  
Shinji awoke leisurely that morning, and went downstairs for a late breakfast. He was pleasantly surprised to find both guys still here, as well as Hikari and her sister Nazomi. Shinji smiled when he saw that 12- year-old Nazomi had attached herself to Kensuke, who seemed oblivious to the female attention.  
  
"Shinji, you're awake. Great. I saved you some breakfast," Hikari smiled.  
  
"Thanks Hikari, you didn't have to do that," he said, sitting down, as Hikari brought out the eggs and bacon she had prepared for the others.  
  
"I was cooking anyway, and I thought you deserved a bit of a break. You had a pretty busy weekend."  
  
"Yeah," he said, rubbing the back of his neck, "I guess I did."  
  
Shinji ate the wonderful breakfast that Hikari had made, and kept complimenting her so often as to how great it was, that she started blushing and looking down every time she walked by him.  
  
"Does anyone know where my clothes from the wedding ended up?"  
  
"Yeah, they had to cut them off of you at the hospital. Your jacket's history," Kensuke said.  
  
"Damn. I don't suppose anyone picked up my wallet or my cell phone?"  
  
"No we didn't. Its probably at the hospital though, so you could go get it today."  
  
"I don't think so Kensuke. I'm pretty sure my battle with the Legion trashed the hospital," Shinji looked sad.  
  
"It did more than that. There's a huge desolated area almost a mile west of the hospital. There isn't a single building left standing."  
  
"Did anyone get hurt?" Shinji asked.  
  
"Not a one, they all made it to the shelters."  
  
"So what's on the agenda for today?" Toji asked.  
  
"I don't know. I need to contact Misato and find out what she wants me to do," Shinji said.  
  
"So, back to the same schedule you had at NERV HQ?"  
  
"I guess. Actually it'll probably be a little more like Ayanami's," shrugged Shinji.  
  
"Here Shinji, use my phone," Toji said, handing his unit over to Shinji.  
  
"Thanks Toji," he mumbled around a mouthful of eggs.  
  
Shinji flipped open the phone, and quickly dialed in Misato's number. She answered on the second ring.  
  
"Is he up yet Suzuhara?"  
  
"Yes, I am Misato," Shinji laughed.  
  
"Shinji? What are you... oh, you're phone. It's still at the hospital. Damn, well, stop by Communications and pick up a new one. After you've done that, I want you to come down to Command."  
  
"Sure thing. I've got a stop to make first though. How soon do you need me?"  
  
"Whenever you're ready. I'm not going anywhere. Toji is a little upset about not getting a honeymoon, but he understands. And, I'm going to make sure I make it up to him," Misato said. Shinji would almost see the leer she had to have on her face.  
  
"Okay Misato, I'll be there within the hour. Bye."  
  
"Goodbye Shinji, see you soon."  
  
"So, Shinji, what does Misato want you to do?" Toji asked, taking his phone from him.  
  
"I've got to pick up a new phone, and then report to Command."  
  
"No problem. Want a ride?"  
  
"Yeah. But can you take me out to the airfield first?"  
  
"Sure, wanna check out the EVA?"  
  
"Yeah, among other things."  
  
"Okay. Well, let me know when you want to leave, and we'll head out."  
  
"Thanks, Toji, I want to take a shower first, and then we can head out."  
  
Thirty minutes later Toji was pulling into the Airfield, and, at Shinji's direction, he moved past the parked vehicles to the EVA. There were several people gathered around the EVA, led by Doctor Akagi.  
  
"Hello Shinji," she said.  
  
"Hey, Ritsuko. What are you doing."  
  
"Just a standard diagnostic of the EVA. As much as we can at least. All the custom equipment for working on the EVA's was destroyed with the Geofront."  
  
"Found anything?"  
  
"Yes. The Entry Plug is not accessible. We lifted the rear armor plate, to release it, and the skin of the EVA has grown over the plug. It's completely encased in the unit. I can't be sure, but I'd bet that over time it will be absorbed entirely by Unit-01."  
  
"Hmm. Okay. Weird."  
  
"I'd like to schedule some experiments between you and Unit-01. We don't have the simulation bodies or plugs anymore, and with the Entry Plug inaccessible, we can't take it out for a sync test, and so we'll just have to experiment with different techniques. Is that alright?"  
  
"Sure, Ritsuko, I don't see a problem with that. Misato wants me to stop by the Command Center, but I can come back here in a couple hours I guess. What would you like me to do?"  
  
"I'll have everything set up by the time you get back, so you don't need to worry about anything."  
  
"Thanks. Later Ritsuko," he waved, and turned back to Toji.  
  
"Thanks for dropping me off here, Toji. I'll be home when they're done poking and prodding me."  
  
"Okay, Shinji, are you sure you don't need a ride back?" Toji asked.  
  
"Nope, I've got that covered," he said, reaching into his pocket and pulling out a set of BMW car keys.  
  
"Asuka's BMW?"  
  
"Yeah, I didn't think it would be right to just leave it here. No matter how much I wish it weren't true, she's gone, and I think she won't be back for some time. I'm going to keep her car for her, and return it to her when she comes back."  
  
"You seem pretty sure she's coming back," Toji commented.  
  
"She is, Toji, she is. You wouldn't believe me if I told you how I know that, but you'll just have to trust me for now," Shinji grinned.  
  
"Okay, Ikari, keep you're secrets if you have to," Toji said.  
  
"Just for now, Toji. Someday soon you'll hear the whole story, I promise. I just need to think some things over before I'm ready to tell anyone. You can go ahead and go back to the house, I'll be home after a while. Tell Hikari not to wait dinner on me."  
  
"No problem Shinji. You take care of yourself. Later," he said, hoping back into his SUV, and pulled out of the airfield, probably heading for home.  
  
Shinji found Asuka's BMW easily enough. She'd left it inside the hangar where her F-22 had been stored. He went into the Pilot's Ready Room, and found her locker. There, hanging within, was the beautiful red dress she'd worn at the wedding. Shinji took it off the rack where she'd hung it, and sat down on the bench, holding it close to his face. It still smelled like her. The Lavender and Rose perfume she wore on special occasions, mixed with her own feminine odors.  
  
He looked up from the dress, and saw her purse hanging there, from a hook in the back of the locker. He grabbed it, and opened it, looking inside for her car keys. No reason to use his if he didn't have to. There they were, as well as a small black wallet. He pulled it out, telling himself she wouldn't mind. In the front of the wallet was a space that had long ago been meant for whatever ID the owner might have, but now held only pictures, as they didn't have things like drivers licenses. There, in the front of the wallet, was a picture of Shinji that he barely remembered. It had been taken by their crew chief the morning after they'd qualified for VTOL Pilot flight status. He had this same picture on the mantle in his living room.  
  
He didn't realize Asuka had a copy of it as well.  
  
Sighing, he shook his head slightly, and put the wallet back. He gathered up the rest of her belongings in the locker, and took them out to the car, placing them in the passenger seat.  
  
Poor confused Asuka.  
  
Sitting down, he put the key in the ignition, and turned the motor over. He started it easily, adjusted the seat slightly, and the mirrors, and gauges, and then, finding all well, pulled out, heading for NERV Command. He still wasn't as comfortable driving cars as he was with Motorcycles, but he managed a respectable journey from the Airfield to the Command Center. Taking the Monorail down to the Parking Section, he parked the car in the space reserved for him, and entered the lift, indicating the command level. A few minutes later found him entering the Command Center, looking for Misato.  
  
She was sitting behind her disk, with a stack of papers before her. He laughed to think of how she hated paperwork, and how she had thought that, as base Commander, she would be able to avoid it.  
  
'Looks like the end of that dream,' Shinji thought, with a grin.  
  
"Hey Misato," he said, waving as he walked up the stairs from the Control level to the Observation level, where Misato's desk sat.  
  
"Hi Shinji, have a seat, I have to look at a couple of these preliminary reports, first, and then I'll be free," she said, looking up from her stack of papers.  
  
Shinji didn't take the offered seat, but instead walked to the front rail, looking down 20 feet onto the Shepherd. This computer, the forerunner of the Magi system, was one of the most powerful computer systems on the planet. It lacked the triple redundancy of the Magi, and the Personality Matrix, but it was one powerful machine nonetheless.  
  
A sigh escaped from Misato, and attracted Shinji's attention.  
  
"What is it Misato?" he asked.  
  
"Ritsuko's and Professor Fuyutsuki's initial recommendations," she said.  
  
"Oh? What do they think?"  
  
"Well they both take different paths to arrive at more or less the same conclusions," she said. "First: they need to do a detailed examination of you, to figure out what's going on. Both physically and mentally. Second: they want to examine the EVA. Some things have changed dramatically from the last time we saw it, and that needs to be explained. Third: if these Legion are a new attacking force similar to the Angels we fought before, we're going to need to make preparations for attacks here similar to those that occurred at NERV in Tokyo-3." She didn't mention to him Ritsuko's fourth conclusion that one EVA was not enough to combat any real threat, and they'd need more of the units. Misato wasn't sure how that could happen though, with the loss of Lilith, and Adam during Third Impact.  
  
"So what do you want to do now?" Shinji asked.  
  
"Now, I want to talk to you about what happened. I need to get a report about how things have changed between you and EVA, and anything else you can explain to me. We have some really big gaps in our understanding of what's going on is limited to a few minutes conversation here and there."  
  
Shinji sighed, not really wanting to talk about it, but realizing that Misato had to know everything. "So. Where do I begin?" he asked.  
  
"Where ever you want to. It's your story."  
  
"Got a recorder?"  
  
"Yeah, I thought ahead. I have an SDAT recorder right here," she flipped out the small device, normally used for recording and playing back music. "Whenever you're ready."  
  
"Okay. Well when I finally caught Asuka, she took off, blowing me into the bog. At this point, somehow, I generated an AT field like my EVA's. As I was in the hospital I could feel the doctors working on me, and someone holding my hand. After that I kinda drifted out, and when I woke up I was in the recovery room, and I didn't hurt any more. When the EVA landed outside, I seemed to sense that it was calling for me. I just knew what to do, so I did it, and I got sucked up inside the EVA," he paused.  
  
"Remember those times I told you about where I'd find myself on a subway somewhere, and would end up having those deep life altering talks with myself or other people?" he asked.  
  
"Like naked Asuka, Rei and Myself?" Misato said suggestively.  
  
Shinji nodded, "Exactly. Well when I first entered EVA, I found myself back on the train, only this time there were three Angels there. REAL Angels, not those things we fought. They called them the Watchers, and the new threat was the Legion of the Fallen, the army of Satan. They told me that God will not let them interfere with man's destiny, but they had to do something, so they sent EVA and the Lance back for me to use. If the Legion manage to kill the last humans on the planet, Lucifer will merge with the Guff, and become powerful enough to challenge God for control of the Universe. So the lives of not only mankind, but all the Universe is on my shoulders. Mine and Asuka's."  
  
"They talked about Asuka?" Misato asked.  
  
"Only for a moment. They said the she and I have a destiny to fulfill, and that our fates are mirrored. What happens to me must happen to her."  
  
"And then?" she prompted.  
  
"And then I woke up, and I was EVA. I can't describe how it feels. It's like it's my own body, and it's glorious. It's me in that armor, with the S2 engine, holding the Lance. It's more incredible than any sync test I've ever been through. I imagine it's a lot like sex."  
  
Misato koffed.  
  
"So when I took the Lance, I began to test out how the body moved, and it was just like I said. It wasn't an extension of my body, it WAS my body. I was EVA and EVA was I. So then the Legion appeared, and I sensed it's AT field coming for me. I attacked, lost the Lance, and got my butt handed to me. The thing started ripping and shredding me, and then it grabbed the back of my head and started to try and rip it off."  
  
Misato nodded, hearing for the first time the details of the battle they'd missed seeing, "We saw the thing on your back from the Surveillance Satellites, how'd you finally get it off?"  
  
"Asuka."  
  
"Asuka?"  
  
"Asuka. See I passed out from the pain and found myself floating in a sea of blackness. I figured I was about to die, so I called out her name. And she answered me Misato. Now I know what you're thinking, cause I've thought it a couple of times since yesterday's battle, but I know what I'm saying is true. We carried on this long conversation as that thing savaged my body, and, as I was finally giving up, and dying, she begged me to wait for her, promising that she'd come back."  
  
Shinji had tears in his eyes and his voice was heavy with emotion.  
  
"It... It was almost to late, but, you know, just hearing those words gave me strength. She told me that she was pretty messed up, and couldn't let herself love me yet, so I had to defeat the Legion, keep everyone safe, but most of all I had to wait for her. That gave me the strength to go on. More than that, as I woke up, I discovered I could manipulate my AT field to do whatever I want. I used it to heal my body, and then called the Lance to me. That was a neat trick. Turns out the Lance, as a blessed weapon, has some form of mind of it's own, and with all the powers and abilities it has, it will respond to the call of it's true master. So it came to me, and I knew what I had to do. I turned the Lance into a sword and cut that things head off. I then destroyed the S2 unit of the Legion, and parked the EVA at the airfield. You know the rest."  
  
Misato leaned forward and picked up the SDAT, looking at Shinji expectantly. Shinji nodded, and she turned it off.  
  
"Okay, off the record, is there anything you want to add?"  
  
"Nothing I can think of."  
  
"About this conversation with Asuka. How do you know it was really her, and not some part of your own subconscious just trying to keep you motivated and alive?"  
  
"I can't explain the feeling I got while she and I 'talked,' but I knew it was the real her. If it was just my imagination, she'd have said she loved me, but she didn't she just said to wait. So that makes me believe it was real. That, and she told me why she left."  
  
"Really? It wasn't just that she was embarrassed or angry?"  
  
"No. In fact, that had nothing to do with it. She knew how I felt about her before I ever told her, but it was safe as long as we kept our distances. When I kissed her she realized that we were going to end up together, and that, if she didn't get her own head and heart straightened out, she'd end up destroying me. She ran away to protect me. She didn't think at the time that she'd end up almost killing me in the process, she just needed her space."  
  
"That sounds plausible based on what I know of Asuka's psych profile. Did she say where she's headed?"  
  
"No, but I'd bet that she's going back home. Back to Germany, for some kind of closure. That's my best guess."  
  
"You want to follow her don't you?" Misato smiled.  
  
"With all my heart,' he said, looking at the floor.  
  
He looked back up, and took a breath, "But I won't. The Angels told me I can't go to her. And if she's really gone back to Germany to defeat her demons, my showing up there will only interfere with that. I have to wait and trust that the vision I was shown was real."  
  
"Okay, Shinji," she said, "well I think we may need to get a more detailed report later. I know Ritsuko and Professor Fuyutsuki are going to want to look over all of this in detail, so I want you to take some time to write down everything you can remember. What was said, impressions at the time, and since, and even things that seemed different or odd, that you didn't understand. I want a copy of it when its done, and I'll give one to each of the others."  
  
"So what's next?" Shinji asked.  
  
"Next, you get poked and prodded, just like the EVA is by Ritsuko, while I try to come up with some way to make sure we can all survive what coming. Fuyutsuki's got some interesting ideas, and I think we're going to look at using them."  
  
She continued, "The biggest problem is manpower. We simply don't have enough personnel to undertake any project of significant size, so we may not be able to do much. This Emergency Command Center is located far enough underground that we can slow direct attacks, but they can still get through. This facility wasn't built to withstand a direct Assault, like the Geo-Front was. Also, your EVA is rather exposed in it's current location. I think the solution to both problems is the expansion of this base. To accomplish that we're going to have to organize serious manpower."  
  
"Or some serious EVApower," he said. "I bet that I could dig and punch new caverns into the chambers down there, if you'll give me the chance."  
  
"I'll remember you offered that, Shinji," Misato said.  
  
"Why not. I could use the practice in the EVA, the more familiar I am with that body, the better I'll be able to use it in combat. Speaking of which, is there anyone we know of who can teach martial arts? I need to learn how to fight, and unless you know of some hidden EVA size weapons cache, I'll need some lessons in hand to hand combat."  
  
"Hmm. Excellent idea Shinji; let me look," she turned and began typing on her keyboard. The computer beeped and a roster of names appeared on the screen before her. "Well there are a number of people who are experienced with martial arts in one form or another, but there's only one person here who's listed as a former teacher. He's been helping out at the fish hatchery since he Awoke, and lives there by himself. Here, let me print this out." She typed in another command, and her printer spit out the mans name and address, as well as a few other personal notes. Shinji glanced through the information quickly, and something caught his eye.  
  
"What is Jeet-Kun-Doh?" he asked.  
  
"A form of Martial arts developed by a master late in the last century."  
  
"Really? Why not one of the older forms?"  
  
"This form is supposed to be something of a fusion of all forms within itself. I'll make a call, and see if he's willing to take you on as a student and get back to you, okay?  
  
"Sure Misato," Shinji smiled. "Well I think I'd better go. Ritsuko will want to poke and prod me now, so I'll see you later alright?"  
  
"Sure Shinji, take care."  
  
Shinji waved goodbye as he stood up and walked away. Misato happily watched him go, and then turned to the massive pile of work before her. Dropping her head into her hands she began to sob, "Why did I ever agree to be the base commander?"  
  
Shinji showed up back at the Airfield and was surprised to see a few cables and wires hooked up to his EVA, a number of machines, probably to monitor the things the cables were attached to, and Doctor Akagi, manning the machines all by herself.  
  
"Hey Ritsuko," he said, getting out of the BMW, and walking over to her.  
  
"Hello Shinji, how'd your meeting with Misato go?"  
  
"Pretty good. I got some homework though."  
  
"Homework?"  
  
"Yeah, I have to write a detailed report on what happened this weekend.  
  
"Ah, that is something I was going to ask for too. Misato beat me to the punch."  
  
"Anyway, after she told me to do that, I started back here when I remember I needed to pick up a new phone, so I grabbed one from Communications, and I spent the drive over here programming in all the numbers and calling people to give them the new one."  
  
"Sounds good. Anyhow. I'd like to begin by placing some radio monitors on you, and then having you stand in front of your EVA. Alright?"  
  
"Sure, not a problem."  
  
"Great, take off your cloths."  
  
"..."  
  
"Okay, for dignity, you can keep the boxers."  
  
"How generous of you Doctor Akagi," Shinji said.  
  
"Why thank you for noticing Shinji," Ritsuko smiled.  
  
Shinji pulled his clothing off, making sure to leave his boxers in place, and stepped over to Ritsuko. She spent the next couple minutes attaching sensors across his body, and then motioned him that she was ready to begin.  
  
"What am I supposed to do?" he asked.  
  
"Nothing right now, I want you to just take a few deep breathes while I adjust the sensors."  
  
Shinji did as requested, relaxing his muscles, and concentrating on his breathing.  
  
"That's great Shinji, now I want you to approach Unit-01, and try to enter it again, like you did yesterday."  
  
Shinji nodded, and walked beneath the S2 Unit of EVA. He felt his AT field extending from his body, and when it touched the S2 Unit, a light from it stabbed down to him, and drew him into the EVA.  
  
He blinked, and looked down to his left. Tiny little Doctor Akagi was frantically looking from one screen to another. Shinji smiled inwardly, and instinctively entered the microwave communications network.  
  
Doctor Akagi's phone rang, and she picked it up, annoyed.  
  
"What?"  
  
"Talk nice or you don't get to poke and prod me."  
  
"Shinji?"  
  
"The one and only."  
  
"How are you doing this?"  
  
"I don't really know, but somehow in this form I'm able to utilize all the features that the computers of my EVA used to have when I was in the Entry Plug. There are also some other things that can only be described as the way the EVA truly sees things, and not how the computers and sensors within EVA interpret them. I can see energy fields, and aura's, and there's more here than I could ever describe. I could spend my life writing a book on this experience and it wouldn't be enough."  
  
"Yesterday, we heard you talk using the EVA."  
  
"Yeah, but I figured talking to you like this would be better. I don't want to scare the crap out of anyone who happens to be within hearing range. It's going to take ME a while to get used to my voice when I'm like this, and I'm the one talking. I can't imagine what its like outside."  
  
"It's very very disconcerting. Your voice is a combination of your own and the rumble/roar that we've always heard from the EVA's"  
  
"Yeah? That's cool I guess. So, what do you want me to do?" he asked.  
  
Well, how about just walking for now."  
  
"You might want to disconnect those wires," he said, indicating the cables coming from her monitors.  
  
"Oh, that's okay. I've rigged them with quick release connectors, so as soon as you reach their limit, they'll unplug."  
  
"Oh, okay, then, here goes," he said, standing up. He began walking forward, and planned to turn to walk down the runway. He moved his left leg forward and felt a slight pinch as one of the cables detached. Ignoring it, he moved down the runway, turned around and walked back up the taxiway. Ritsuko was busy examining her monitors, so Shinji decide to get in a little bit of a workout as long as he was in the EVA anyway, and stepped out away from Ritsuko. He bent down, and did some stretching first, and then, looking for a likely subject, saw a clearing about a kilometer away. He walked into it, crouched, focusing on pushing with his AT field, and jumped.  
  
The jump pushed him several hundred meters into the sky, and he fell lightly back to earth a few moments later, extending his AT field to act as a cushion. The effect on the ground, when he landed, was dramatic. Doctor Akagi was shaken off her feet by the shockwave, a kilometer away.  
  
"Shinji what was that?" she shouted.  
  
"Uh sorry Ritsuko. I just tried to soften my landing with my AT field, and something happened. Hang on a minute, you'll have to see this."  
  
The EVA walked away from the clearing it was in, and over to the Airfield where Ritsuko Akagi was. Bending over, the purple giants hand clasped her gently and lifter her into the air. She squeaked a little.  
  
"You okay Ritsuko?"  
  
"Yeah, fine, just startled."  
  
They approached the place Shinji had landed, and Ritsuko looked impressed. The clearing now contained a deep crater where his AT field had pushed the topsoil down almost 50 feet lower than the surrounding forest.  
  
"You did that by extending your AT field?" Ritsuko asked, impressed.  
  
"Yeah. Guess I don't know my own strength," he said.  
  
"Shinji, can you take me back to the Airfield? I think I want to get the data I collected back to my lab as soon as possible."  
  
"Sure Ritsuko. You're all done with me then?  
  
He walked back over to where he had started this exercise from and knelt down in the same pose he was in when he first entered the EVA, setting Doctor Akagi down before resting his free hand on his thigh. There was a flash and Shinji's human body was standing below his EVA once again. He wobbled and fell over.  
  
"Shinji!" Ritsuko yelled, running towards the young man. She lifted him up from the ground, resting his head in her lap.  
  
"I'm sorry. It's just a little disorienting you know. Like spinning around real fast over and over, and then coming to a stop. Still it was pretty cool."  
  
"Shinji, you know that homework Misato assigned you this morning?"  
  
"Yes?" Shinji said, pensively.  
  
"Add this incident to it. I want to know everything about everything you just did."  
  
"Yes Ma'am. Jeez and I thought that piloting an EVA was always more fun than School, but I having to complete a Major paper like this in one day is more than I EVER got assigned in Secondary School."  
  
Ritsuko laughed, "Alright Shinji, I want you to go home and get something to eat, now, and call me if you notice anything that you think I might want to know about. Alright?"  
  
"Sure Ritsuko," he said, and stood up, walking over to his clothing to get dressed. He pulled up his pants, grabbed his keys and went over to the BMW. Climbing behind the wheel, he started it up, and made his slow way home.  
  
Pulling the car into the driveway, he drove up to the open garage door, and parked it inside. Once he'd exited the car, he walked around it, admiring the lines. He understood why Asuka liked it, but he'd never get used to something like this. He wanted his bike back.  
  
'I'll have to see what I can do about scrounging another one,' he thought to himself.  
  
He turned and walked into the rear of the house to find his friends gathered around the table.  
  
"Hey, Ikari, excellent timing," Toji shouted. "Have a seat and lets dig in."  
  
Sitting down quickly, he gratefully ate the meal that Hikari had prepared for them all, and went upstairs. He stripped, showered, and lay down on his bed, feeling elated and exhausted at the same time.  
  
He glanced out the French doors and across the intervening space, his eyes alighting on balcony where Asuka used to sit and listen to him play the Cello. He knew she was there, even when his doors were closed and her lights were out. She had tried to hide, but he could still sense her there, in the dark. A smile touched his lips.  
  
'I can't wait to tell Asuka," he said, and drifted off into sleep.  
  
Next on Episode 2:12 of Neon Genesis Evangelion a two weeks have passed since Asuka fled Japan, and her trip across the Russian Steppes by horseback is taking her longer than she at first suspected, but she discovers that not everyone outside of Japan acts like the three thugs who assaulted her last time.  
  
It's Evangelion Episode 2:12 On the Lone Prairie. 


	12. Episode 2:12

Disclaimer: Neon Genesis Evangelion is Owned by Gainax. Buy the DVD's of the Series and the Movies from them. I did, and it was worth every dime. I don't own anything except my DVD's, and this is done for my own satisfaction.  
  
Episode 2:12 On the Lone Prairie.  
  
Takes place after 1st season, and the End of Evangelion Movie.  
  
Presumed date is Monday June 27th, 2016  
  
Asuka brought the horse up off the grassland and onto the road she'd been traveling toward for the last few hours. She looked north and south, surveying the road for any sign of recent travel. The dirt and gravel road had grass growing out of it everywhere, and, Asuka suspected, was on it's way to being reclaimed by the Steppe grass. She got off of him, and took up his reins, leading him off the road on foot. She promised herself she wouldn't wear him out today. He'd been a good horse.  
  
The first couple days of her journey she'd thought that maybe she could find a car or something that she could drive, but decided, after examining a few of the cars in this desolate and deserted part of eastern Russian, that she was better off on horseback. The horse, which she'd taken to calling 'Liebchen,' was a sturdy animal, and appeared strong and healthy.  
  
She'd loved the feeling of exhilaration she felt as the two of them had raced across the Russian steppes. Sometimes traveling almost sixty miles in a single day, and other times traveling only a few miles, and often getting off the horse and walking him, as she lingered in the grass.  
  
It gave her a lot of time to think. She'd had that dream about Shinji dying while she was unconscious after her assault. She still remembered that dream vividly, despite all the time that passed. She normally forgot dreams within a day or two, even vivid ones, but not this one. She suspected that it was because it was the last dream she'd ever have about him, so it was special. She wished that she could call NERV and find out if he'd survived the collision with her plane, but she knew better. There was no way he could have lived through that. The impact was so severe it had thrown her up into the air, and she'd felt the whole plane shake with the impact.  
  
She shook her head, dismissing the growing wave of sorrow that threatened to overwhelm her. She'd had enough crying fits lately, always for Shinji, and she decided it wasn't getting her anywhere. Instead she spent her days riding, walking, and remembering.  
  
Happy moments.  
  
The three stooges, hunched together over their lunch, looking at Kensuke's most recent pictures. Discussing some new weapons system he'd found on the internet, or trying to pick Shinji's brain for classified information.  
  
She smiled.  
  
Her and Hikari sitting at their table, commenting on how dumb the three were to be wasting their time on that silliness. Commenting that they couldn't wait until they grew up, and became 'real' men.  
  
Never realizing that their real men were right there, just waiting for their chance.  
  
Well, Hikari had finally done it, she'd gotten her 'real' man, and even though he didn't act much different around the other stooges, Hikari had told her all about the changes that Toji had really gone through. He was romantic and caring. Who would have thought.  
  
Well Shinji had been romantic and caring too, she realized, and not just since the Awakening. He'd been like that before. She'd just never noticed it, and every time she'd thought about softening towards him he'd start apologizing for something that wasn't his fault. That was so infuriating, she couldn't stand it. A real man should be strong enough to stand on his own, without making excuses for anything. Shinji had a case of what Hikari called 'Terminal Shyness,' and they'd both often commented that for Shinji to show a real emotion would kill him.  
  
And it had.  
  
'No, enough of that, you don't know for sure he's dead,' she scolded herself.  
  
'Yeah, hitting people at 200 miles an hour with a fighter jet isn't always fatal,' some sarcastic part of her replied.  
  
'Stop it, just stop it, leave me alone, I don't want to think about that any more,' she thought shaking her head.  
  
'That's why you came out here. You knew they wouldn't forgive you for killing him. He was so innocent, so sweet, so in love, and you killed him,' it said.  
  
"NO! SHUT UP LEAVEMEALONE!" she shouted, holding her hands to her ears, trying to silence the inner voice.  
  
Liebchen picked his ears up and looked around, snorting. She kept yelling odd things, and, even though he couldn't understand her, he sensed something was wrong with his partner. He nickered and nudged her with his nose. She sniffed and patted him on the head, scratching behind his ears absently the way he liked it best.  
  
She started walking again, looking around for a stream or something, where she could water Liebchen, and refill her canteens. She pulled out a map that she'd taken from a building in the last town she'd come across, four or five days ago, and tried to figure out where she was. Okay, if this was the town, and that road was the one she just crossed, the next sizable stream or river should be ten or eleven miles ahead. So three hours walking, or an hour of riding, and she'd be there. She decided to walk for now.  
  
If the last coordinate fix she'd gotten in the F-22 had been accurate, she had over four thousand miles to go. A long way by jet, but even farther on foot. Well, she had Liebchen, and that was enough.  
  
She hadn't seen much more than a light misting of rain since she'd landed in Russia, and figured the weather would hold for a while anyway. If it did turn nasty, she could always find a town to hold up in until it got better. It's not like this was the Russia from Pre-Second Impact. He'd heard that that was really a hellish place. Constant snow and ice, dark much of the winter.  
  
Brrr. She shivered just thinking of it. She'd only seen snow a couple times in her life, mostly in the highest mountains in Germany, and then pictures of Mt. Everest and a couple others. She didn't think she could have survived a Russian winter in the old days, but now, with the weather patterns changed, and the climate now much warmer it was wonderful.  
  
She laughed to think about the tales her teachers had told her about mankind causing global warming, and worrying about ozone holes and rising seas. Well second impact had solved that. The seas overnight had risen almost eighty meters, and drowned most costal communities. As far as she could see, global warming wasn't so bad. Oh sure there had been famine and outbreaks of plagues and virulent disease, but it was just the Earths way of adjusting to it's new environment, it made sense that some had to die that others might live.  
  
She decided to go ahead and ride Liebchen again, figuring he'd had enough rest, and pulled herself up into the stirrup. She set him at an easy trot, and within the hour had arrived at the stream on the map. It wasn't that big a stream, but the water was cool and crisp. She filled her canteen, and decided to camp here for the night.  
  
She got her pack off of Liebchen, and set up her tent. Using her folding shovel she cleared a space of all brush and burnable material before starting her fire. No sense torching the Russian steps, just because she wanted something warm to eat.  
  
She started her small fire, and warmed the rations she'd found. When they were ready she ate them with relish while Liebchen strayed nearby eating the fresh grass, and some leaves of low lying shrubs. She'd discovered that he was a very well behaved horse, and would stay nearby, even if she didn't tie him up at night. She went ahead and took his gear off of him, and brushed down his coat.  
  
After that she sat down and opened the map again. She hadn't really kept up on her language studies since she'd gone to Japan, but a little practice was doing her wonders. She could understand the Cyrillic characters of the map, and had picked up a couple books at the last library she'd seen, so she could read out loud from them, brushing up on her Russian.  
  
If she read this map correctly, some time tomorrow she'd make Omsk. That wasn't too bad, even with some foraging, and a fair amount of walking she'd come almost 400 miles in the last two weeks. Not exactly a sprint, but she wasn't in that much of a hurry either. She didn't know what she'd find in Germany, but hoped it would be something like Japan, and not like Novosibirsk.  
  
She put the map up, banked her fire, and drifted off into sleep.  
  
She rode into Omsk late the next day, casually looking around. She wasn't sure what she was looking for, but she was sure she'd know it if she found it. Omsk wasn't a real high tech city, like Berlin, or most of Japan, instead it was a rustic city, composed mostly of small, single family houses, and a few mills and factories. Still, it was a fair sized city, and was probably a busy metropolis in it's heyday.  
  
She rode down one of the main roads into the town and realized that she'd found what she was looking for. The main roads were clear of cars.  
  
This didn't seem like something very important at first, but she'd realized, even in an isolated city like this, that there would be cars scattered on the roadways, when Third Impact had occurred. Only people could have moved the cars, and if they had moved them, maybe they'd be friendly. Novosibirsk was full of cars and bad people.  
  
She decided to ride around to see if she could find anyone.  
  
The old man looked down on the young fiery haired woman as she traveled into the town. Except for a couple troublemakers, she was the first outsider that had made the journey over the steppes since Third Impact. She didn't seem like much trouble, so he put his rifle down and walked over to the church bell, and began ringing it.  
  
Asuka nearly jumped out of the saddle, and Liebchen gave a start when the church bell began to ring. She could see an older man, mostly hidden by shadow, up there ringing the bell. Soon she heard the galloping of horses, and four riders on sturdy looking steppe horses came up. They slowed to a stop before the church, and the bell stopped ringing.  
  
Asuka noted that they were all armed with rifles, and handguns.  
  
'Like some kind of old western,' she thought, looking at them.  
  
They sized her up, sitting there in the saddle, then one of them trotted his horse over to her.  
  
"We don't receive many strangers in town these days," he said.  
  
Time to try out her Russian.  
  
"I'm traveling from the East to the West, and hoped I'd find a place to rest and resupply," she said.  
  
The man laughed, "If you've come far, you should know, as big as Mother Russia is, it might have been easier to go East until you arrived in the West."  
  
Asuka smiled. "I've begun to notice that. I started out in a plane, but I've been on horse back since I had to set down in Novosibirsk."  
  
"That was a bad place to set down," the man said, his voice going grim, "We've heard about it from people who fled there several months ago. Apparently a gang has taken the city over, and keeps the few residents that stay in constant fear."  
  
"I know, I met up with them."  
  
The man looked amazed. "One so young and pretty as you? I would not have thought they would allow such a one to go free un..." he stopped seeing the crushed and fearful look on her face. "I see, they did not let you go so easily did they. Come child, we will take you to the Hotel where we are all living, and there you can relax, and have a meal."  
  
Asuka smiled at him, "That would be greatly appreciated, I've been living off of canned goods I found at a military base."  
  
"Ugh, canned rations, we can do better. Come, child, my Sophia will be glad to have the company of another her own age," he said, backing up his horse and motioning her to follow.  
  
He and the other riders escorted her to a large hotel, probably the largest building in town, where they dismounted, and tied their horses in a large square before the hotel. Asuka did the same, and was soon mounting the steps. When she walked inside she saw that the room was lit by electric lights, but she hadn't noticed power in any of the other buildings outside.  
  
"You notice the lights eh? There is a large generator in the basement that provides our power, but it is not so much to run the city. The coal fired plant outside of town broke down shortly after we tried to turn it on, and so we've had to depend on this for our power. Truly it was not so much of an inconvenience. We took all of the cars in town, and parked them in a field on the outskirts. We drained their fuel, and put it in the large tanks at the fuel depots. Now when we need fuel for the generator, we pump it out of the tanks, taking only what we need."  
  
"Papa, who is this you are boring with your talk?" said a pretty young blonde girl about Asuka's age.  
  
"Ah, and here is my Sophia. My dear, this is who the bell called us to meet. This is... oh dear," he said, looking worriedly between his daughter and Asuka.  
  
"Langley," Asuka said, not batting an eye, it was her name after all, just not all of it.  
  
"Papa, for shame, you have not told her your name. Langley, this is my father, Piotr Akedi, and I am Sophia. Welcome to Omsk. Have you traveled far?"  
  
"Yes. Your father was telling me that I might have had an easier journey if I'd traveled into the East instead."  
  
"Oh, no, to the east of here is Novosibirsk, and you..." she was suddenly quite, noticing her father put a finger to his lips and shake his head.  
  
"Well anyhow, we were preparing to make dinner. Would you like to help?"  
  
"Certainly, I have had no good food for weeks, and would like a good meal," Asuka said.  
  
"Then come, an extra pair of hands is always welcome, and these men are terrible in the kitchen."  
  
Twenty minutes later she was up to her elbows in flower, and was helping Sophia make the dough for the biscuits.  
  
"So how many people live here?" she asked.  
  
"Oh there are about a hundred people here right now. A few more are out on the plains tending the cattle, or hunting for game. Since the, what did you call it, 'The Awakening,' we've all been living here, and contributing to everyone's survival."  
  
"A hold over from the Old Soviet?"  
  
"No, a hold over from the days when this city was covered in snow and ice for five months of the year. We are hardy here, but in order to survive a Russian winter, neighbors had to help neighbors."  
  
Sophia held out a pan, which Asuka deposited her last biscuit onto, and then placed it into the large wood fired oven.  
  
'Truthfully, we lack for little here, except word of the outside world."  
  
"Well having come from the outside world, I can tell you that, for the most part, it's getting better. Where I was, there was a central organization, and everyone within hundreds of kilometers was rescued and brought to the city. There we found jobs for them, and tried to continue on with our lives as best we could."  
  
"And you? What made you decide to leave that wonderful place and attempt a journey such as this?"  
  
"I had a misunderstanding with someone. I couldn't stay. So I took an airplane, and started flying. I ended up landing in Novosibirsk, and you know the rest."  
  
"You know how to fly a plane? Oh how exciting."  
  
"Yeah, it really was, but I think all that is behind me, now," Asuka said.  
  
"So, how long do you think you'll be staying before you continue your journey?" Sophia asked.  
  
"I don't know Sophia. After I landed, I started west, but I don't really have any firm plans. So much is undecided."  
  
"Langley, why don't you stay with us for a while. Life here is not so bad. We have plenty of food, and the residents are nice," the girl said, smiling.  
  
"And you don't have another friend your own age to talk to?" Asuka guessed, smiling to ease her words.  
  
"Ivan is the only one even close to my age, and he's a boy."  
  
Asuka laughed, "And they never understand anything, and never want to talk."  
  
"Exactly. It would be nice to have a friend."  
  
"Sophia, I think that right now, having a friend is about the most important thing in the world to me. If it's alright with your father and the others, I'd love to stay."  
  
"I'll go ask him right now. Don't let the biscuits burn," the girl called after her, running out of the kitchen to see her father.  
  
'Yes, I think right now, having a friend I can talk to would be wonderful. Maybe I can finally relax and learn to be Langley, instead of Asuka Langley Soryu,' she thought to herself.  
  
Next on Episode 2:13 of Neon Genesis Evangelion a month has passed since Shinji's fight with the Legion, and construction plans for the badly needed improvements to the base are underway, and Shinji's first lessons with the Martial Arts master have begun. After a workout with his Sensei, he enters the EVA and does something that will surprise almost everyone.  
  
It's Evangelion Episode 2:13 Playing in the Sandbox 


	13. Episode 2:13

Disclaimer: Neon Genesis Evangelion is Owned by Gainax. Buy the DVD's of the Series and the Movies from them. I did, and it was worth every dime. I don't own anything except my DVD's, and this is done for my own satisfaction.  
  
Episode 2:13 Playing in the Sandbox  
  
Takes place after 1st season, and the End of Evangelion Movie.  
  
Presumed date is July 18th, 2016  
  
Shinji awoke at his customary time, dressed, and walked downstairs to the kitchen. He started some hot water to boil for tea, and began getting out some leftover sushi from last night.  
  
What a night. He and Hikari had spent four hours cooking and preparing Sushi for their friends and family. They had all finished and gone to bed totally stuffed. Except for Kensuke, who gave up after Toji dared him to eat the Nori Roll he'd stuffed half with rice and half with Wasabi. Pour Kensuke had drank nearly half a gallon of milk trying to put the fire out, and sat around the rest of the night with ice-cubes in his mouth.  
  
'Okay, now where'd that pickled ginger go?' he asked himself silently. He retrieved itand got out the remaining Inari. He added the ginger to his plate of Inari, and took it and his tea to the table to relax and eat. Lately he'd taken to eating light meals in the morning, so that he wouldn't feel full and sluggish when he arrived at the Dojo.  
  
The Sensei Misato found had agreed to teach him, and they'd made swift progress. The older man was a master of multiple disciplines, and had trained thousands of students over the years. Shinji was a capable and willing student, who knew his work in the Dojo was crucial to the survival of mankind.  
  
He waved to Hikari as he saw her coming up the back deck. "Morning Hikari sleep well?"  
  
"Yes Shinji, thank you. Although I don't' think I want to see Sushi again for a few weeks." She glanced at his half empty plate. "I see some people are gluttons for punishment."  
  
"Aw come on Hikari, you know that I eat this before training every morning. Keeps me light on my feet, and ready for anything," Shinji explained.  
  
"So how IS your training going?" she asked.  
  
"Not too bad. Sensei said that I'm getting better every day," he said, fetching himself another cup of tea.  
  
"Learn anything exciting lately?"  
  
"Well it's still the basics really, but I'm supposed to start Thai Stick fighting today."  
  
"I saw you outside on the deck last night before I went to bed. What was that you were doing?"  
  
"Tai-chi. It's a form of martial arts that is also an excellent way to stretch and gather energy into the vital centers of your body. And it helps me to relax after a hard day of work."  
  
"Hmm," she murmured, pouring the tea, which was now ready, into cups for them.  
  
They drank in companionable silence.  
  
"Shinji, can I ask you something?"  
  
"Sure, Hikari, you can ask me anything you want, you know that."  
  
"Well, I didn't want to upset you."  
  
"No problem," he said, but was thinking, 'Uh, oh, I bet I know what's coming.'  
  
"Have you had any contact, or visions, or whatever of Asuka since the last ones?"  
  
"No, Hikari. I haven't. Trust me, if there's anything from Asuka, I'll let you know."  
  
"Not even any dreams?" she asked.  
  
Shinji blushed, something he rarely did these days, and looked down to the floor, avoiding Hikari's eyes.  
  
"Shinji, not those kind of dreams. I was just thinking that if you really do have a connection, maybe you can try to talk to each other in your dreams."  
  
Shinji hadn't thought of that, but decided he should try to concentrate his dreams on Asuka. Maybe he could reach her. There was a noise from the stairway, and Toji stumbled through the entertainment room and into the dining room, groaning as he came.  
  
"Ooooh," he yawned, "Good morning."  
  
"Good morning Toji, would you like some breakfast?" Hikari asked, hopping up, and going into the kitchen, I'm going to make Omelet's."  
  
"With cheese?" he asked hopefully.  
  
"One cheese Omelet coming right up," she.  
  
"Morning Hikari," came Kensuke's voice as he walked down stairs, and headed toward the dining room, "you're sister up yet?"  
  
"I expect by now she will be," she answered, "In fact I expect her here at any moment."  
  
"Okay," Kensuke suddenly realized a desperate morning need, and stepped into the downstairs bathroom to relieve himself.  
  
Toji laughed, "Think he's figured out that Nazomi has a crush on him?"  
  
"Not a clue," Shinji shook his head, hearing Hikari laughing as well.  
  
"So what're you doing today Toji?"  
  
"I've got some work to do in the Vehicle Maintenance area. A lot of the construction equipment that's being used for digging out the cavern has been breaking down lately, so they've got us all working hard to keep things repaired. Even Apprentices like me get to do hands on work," Toji said.  
  
"What about you Kensuke, what's up today?" Shinji shouted towards the bathroom.  
  
Kensuke, walked out of the bathroom, having finished his business, and answered, "I'm going to take a scout party out today on a trip for some more supplies. I guess they want to see if they can pick up some spare parts or something, so I'm running them up to Sendai. I guess the teams have only been up there a few times, but they want to do another drop and grab."  
  
Nazomi walked up the back deck at this time, and entered the dining room without knocking. "Good morning Kensuke," she said sweetly.  
  
"Morning Nazomi," he said, stretching and sitting down.  
  
She walked around the table and sat on his right. The others smiled slightly at the two, and turned to other topics of conversation. Poor Kensuke, he didn't realize that as far as Nazomi was concerned he'd been bought and paid for.  
  
Shinji heard a cars horn outside, and got up. "Well, that'll be Misato and Kaji, so I have to go. I'll see you all tonight."  
  
"Bye Shinji," everyone said in chorus.  
  
Shinji grabbed his gym bag, put on his shoes, and ran down the walk to the couple's car. Kaji got out of the passenger seat, and let him crawl into the back.  
  
"Morning Kaji, morning Misato," he said.  
  
"Morning Shinji, have a good weekend?" Misato asked.  
  
"Pretty decent, Hikari convinced Toji that we need to connect the two decks. At first it was just a simple bridge, so they wouldn't get their feet dirty walking between houses. Then Kensuke suggested that as long as we were going to be doing that, we ought to just build the whole thing out as one giant deck, connecting the two houses. We dug some holes for the concrete footings, and they should be poured and set up by Saturday. So it looks like I'll be spending my weekend hammering, cutting, lifting and building."  
  
"Sounds like a lot of work," Kaji noted.  
  
"Yeah, but it's making something with my hands. And I really like that. Being able to create something that other people love. That's important to me."  
  
"So, you guys already requisitioned the wood?"  
  
"Nope, we're going to use some of that synthetic stuff that's made out of plastic and rice hulls. If we put it over an Iron support system, Kensuke thinks we could get 30 years of use out of it."  
  
"Wow, that's a long time. You pretty sure you're going to be in that house that long?" Misato asked.  
  
"As long as it takes, Misato, I can always move later, if I don't like it, and the person who takes the house after me will be grateful for all the hard work we'll have put into it," he said.  
  
"Hey, kiddo, not that I mind giving you a ride to work every morning, but when are you going to get a new bike?" Misato asked.  
  
"Well, the guys finally talked me into getting a Honda Goldwing out of the Motor Pool this morning, so that I can at least get around. It's not real fast, so they think I should get some sort of 'crotch rocket,' as Kensuke calls it, so I can get from the house to the airfield faster in the event of an attack by the Legionnaires."  
  
"Still no sign of a bike like the first one you had? What was it called again?"  
  
"It was Kawasaki's Kiken Jingutsu 3700," Shinji replied.  
  
Kaji laughed. "Dangerous Individual indeed. I've seen you ride that bike, and I have to say it's appropriate."  
  
"Hey, what's that supposed to mean?" Shinji asked, offended.  
  
"Meaning you'd just as soon run over a school bus full of nuns as have to downshift," Kaji said.  
  
"No way," Shinji said, "I'd definitely slow down for nuns. No one else, but definitely for nuns."  
  
Misato and Kaji laughed, and Shinji laughed with them  
  
"Well, here we are, Misato, can you let me out next to the curb?" Shinji asked, seeing that they were nearing the main gym.  
  
"Sure, Shinji, here you go," she said, pulling over, to let him out. "You want me to pick you up after training? You can go to lunch with Kaji and I."  
  
"Nah, thanks, Misato, but I think I'll go ahead and run to the Motor Pool after my workout. It'll help improve my conditioning."  
  
"Alright kiddo, be good," she waved.  
  
"Later Misato. Later Kaji," he said, turning to mount the steps to the gym. Once inside he went to the men's locker room and changed into his workout uniform. He walked out, and entered the first large room. As usual there was a sign on the door stating, "Reserved for Private Lesson."  
  
His Sensei was already here, standing in the large padded room, performing a slow dance in Tai-Chi. Shinji took his position to the right rear of the Sensei, and began to mimic the man's movements, watching in the mirrors that were installed at an angle high up on the wall. Yes, he was getting better since the first few clumsy attempts at this.  
  
After another 20 minutes of increasingly difficult, yet still incredibly elegant moves, Sensei finally finished and stood motionless with his head bowed. Shinji mimicked his master, and bowed his head.  
  
'What is he waiting for?' Shinji wondered to himself, still looking at the ground.  
  
Suddenly Shinji was lying on his back, spots and blackness dancing before his eyes. He shook his head to focus.  
  
"You weren't paying attention young Ikari, you should have been able to anticipate my attack," Sensei said.  
  
"Hai, Sensei, I was not paying attention, as you said," Shinji replied, picking himself up, and bowing in apology.  
  
"Come, I would like you to spar with me for a few minutes that I might study the rewards of your self directed efforts this weekend," and, not waiting for Shinji to reply, the older man attacked.  
  
Shinji began a fast series of dodges, blocks and rolls, keeping from suffering any serious damage at the hands of his master.  
  
'Forearm, forearm, shin, thigh, shin,' he thought to himself, as he used each body part to block a particular attack. 'Forearm, thigh, shin, forearm, thigh,' "WHOOF!" he exclaimed as the kick he'd been expecting to block with his thigh connected to his groin instead.  
  
"Ah very good Ikari, I see you've learned to use your testicles as a way to block my kicks, very inventive, but I don't see how you're going to continue to fight while you're curled up in a ball on my floor," Sensei observed.  
  
Shinji bit back the pain, or tried to, and got slowly to his feet, trying to replace the air that was missing from his lungs. After a couple minutes Shinji had fully recovered, and they bowed, and relaxed into easy fighting stances.  
  
Without warning the Sensei attacked, chopping and kicking his way toward Shinji, but Shinji was determined to not let an attack through his defenses again, and he met every foot leg arm and hand with a block.  
  
The sounds of their breathing echoed back at them from the walls, and Shinji was sweating hard now. He was too absorbed in his own efforts to notice that the Sensei was, himself, starting to sweat.  
  
'This young man shows promise,' he thought, continuing his attack, 'The Commander said he was highly motivated, but I'd never have suspected he would have achieved so much in so little a time. Less than a month, and he's already accomplished at hand to hand combat, within the next couple months he'll be the equal of most of the students I've ever trained, and by the end of the year, he'll be the pride of my time as a teacher.'  
  
A slight smile crept onto the Sensei's lips, which Shinji noticed, but passed off as the older mans delight in beating the 15 year old senseless.  
  
'Man this guy's tough, he just keeps on kicking and punching and never lets up. I've fought ANGELS that were easier to get a hit in on,' Shinji thought.  
  
'Better stop this before I get too winded. Can't let the boy see that he's actually tiring me out.'  
  
"Withdraw," he stated, and Shinji stepped back, assuming the ready position easily enough, and only breathing a little hard. The Sensei had to control his breathing as he walked over to the wall where his bag was kept. He opened it up, and pulled out two short stout sticks, each about 20 inches long. The bottom of them was covered in synthetic shark skin to make gripping them easier.  
  
"Ikari," he called, tossing the sticks to the young man. Shinji caught the two sticks with both hands, and gripped them firmly, feeling their weight.  
  
Sensei turned back around and pulled out another set of sticks, identical to the first. Turning back to Shinji he held his up and spun the around in a circle on the palms of his hands, then gripped them and made quick and elegant cutting motions in the air before him.  
  
"Let the sticks become extensions of your body. They are useful in defense and attack. Instead of allowing blows to strike your body, they should fall upon the sticks. When used to attack an opponent they will allow you to strike with greater force due to the greater amount of momentum they can generate"  
  
The Sense showed him several basic moves, and exercises to get used to the sticks. The practiced for two hours, learning simple techniques, including strikes an parry's as well as combinations of the two. Sensei didn't feel Ikari would yet be ready for disarming attacks, but that could wait until he'd gotten comfortable with the weapons.  
  
"Okay, Shinji, are you ready to show me what you've learned today?" he asked taking up a fighting stance.  
  
"Hai, Sensei," Shinji replied, dropping into his preferred stance.  
  
"Very well then. GO!" he cried, launching a series of fast and brutal attacks. Shinji was fast on the defense, and managed to keep his sticks up, and his fingers out of the way of the Masters blows. Faster and faster the Master's attacks came, until they were almost a blur to Shinji.  
  
'CRACK' the first hit to connect with him smacked his left index finger. 'CRACK CRACK CRACK' a series of three strikes landed in quick succession against his sticks, and his hands were starting to get numb. Then there was a blur, and Shinji was vaguely aware that he'd missed a block and was going to pay for it.  
  
Instead an orange glow appeared just off the surface of his skin and the Sensei's blow bounced off the AT field that had materialized around his head.  
  
"Enough," the Sensei cried, "take a shower, and report to the Commander, I'm certain she has duties for you today." The appearance of Shinji's AT field was still a shock when one watched a blow you expected to land just bounce harmlessly off.  
  
"Hai, Sensei," Shinji replied bowing. He ran to the changing room and took a quick shower, changed into his running gear, and slung the bag across his back. He set his watch's timer and started to run; five miles and just under thirty minutes later he jogged up to the Motor Pool office.  
  
"Pilot Ikari, hello, I wondered when we'd be seeing you," said the Motor Pool Technician. "I heard what happened to your bike. I'm sorry. It was a great machine."  
  
"It sure was, I'm on the lookout for another one, so if anyone finds one, let me know alright?" Shinji said.  
  
"Sure thing. Meanwhile, what can I get for you?"  
  
"Toji already come by?"  
  
"Yeah, we've got him out doing some maintenance on an excavator in 'the Pit.' He mumbled something about you needing a new bike."  
  
"Yeah, I do. I think I'm gonna get two, actually, first a Goldwing, for just general riding to and from, and then a fast street bike so that I can get places fast when I need to. What have you got?"  
  
"Well you can have a Goldwing no problem, there's several to choose from, but the only street bikes we've got are Kawasaki Typhoons."  
  
"No problem, I just need something fast. Could you have it dropped off at my house?"  
  
"Sure thing Ikari, want to look at the Goldwing's now?" he said.  
  
"Yeah," said Shinji, waiting until the man led the way to where the bikes were stored. There in a long row, were fourteen of the Honda's, all pretty much alike, except for coloring. Shinji walked down the row of bikes, looking at each one, and finally stopped by the last one. I had a custom paint job on it, that looked fresh, and a small piece of tape on the front wind faring that read, "Reserved."  
  
"Oh it is, is it," he said, turning to look at the Motor Pool Tech.  
  
"That is, if you want it. When I heard that you were looking for a new bike, I had this one painted up to tempt you."  
  
"Oh you did did you? Well it's a deal. I'll take it. I don't suppose you have a helmet?"  
  
"I just so happen to have one right here," the older man smiled, and walked behind the bike to a small rack. On the top of it was a helmet that had also been custom painted. Shinji took it from him, and examined it, admiring the custom paint job on it. There was a custom communications set like his last helmet, and he quickly attached a cable from his cell phone to the helmet, and downloaded all of his numbers to the new unit.  
  
He put the Helmet on, opened the built in rear saddle bag of the Goldwing, and stored his bag in there. He turned around, straddled the bike, and rocked it forward until the kickstand came up. He checked to be sure the fuel flow was turned on, and then keyed the electronic ignition. The smooth sound of the Goldwing's engine catching and revving was pleasing to listen too.  
  
Thanking the Motor Pool Technician, he pulled the bike out of the Motor Pool Lot slowly, and turned it, heading off. Keying . The bike was easy to control, but very heavy. He doubted if he'd had one a year ago and it fell over he would have been able to lift it. Now, however, with all the weight training he was doing, he didn't think it would be too difficult.  
  
His stomach growled, and he realized that it was probably time to get something to eat.  
  
'I wonder if Misato and Kaji have had lunch yet?' he wondered, and, keying his helmet phone, called Misato.  
  
"Yes?" she said, picking up the phone.  
  
"You and Kaji have lunch yet?" Shinji asked.  
  
"Shinji, hi, but what phone is this, it shows as unknown?"  
  
"It's my new helmet system," he explained.  
  
"Ah. So what's up?"  
  
"Well, I just wanted to see if you'd had lunch yet."  
  
"Kaji and I just sat down at the 'Coffee'terium,' come on over, we're outside at one of the umbrella tables."  
  
"Great I'll be there in a few minutes," he said, hanging up.  
  
Five minutes later, Misato and Kaji heard the distinctive thrum of a Honda Goldwing pulling up, and looked over the raised deck railing to see if it was Shinji pulling up down below. Kaji laughed, and Misato grinned when she saw the vision that was pulling into a parking space down below.  
  
A purple, black, and green Honda, driven by someone with a helmet modeled and painted like Unit-01's head. Shinji took off the helmet, and clipped it to the lock on the side of the bike.  
  
"Up here Shinji," Misato called, waving. Shinji ran a hand over his hair, trying to straighten it out, and waved back. He jogged up the stairs, and sat down next to Misato and Kaji.  
  
"That's a great pain job, I take it the guys at the Motor Pool knew you were coming?" Misato laughed.  
  
"Yeah, looks like Toji put them up to it. That explains why the guys were pushing the Goldwing so hard this weekend," Shinji said.  
  
They all shared a laugh at his friends manipulation of him, before ordering their lunch, continuing to talk and laugh as they ate, enjoying the company of family.  
  
'He certainly has changed,' Misato thought, gazing at the young.  
  
"So I understand that your Sensei is having a hard time keeping up with you," Kaji said.  
  
Misato glared at him, and stomped on his foot. That was something that the Sensei had reported to Misato, but NOT something that the young man should have known.  
  
Shinji brushed it off. "Yeah right. He kicked my but today, every time I thought I was gonna land a hit he'd just deflect my blow like I wasn't even trying. It's too bad that we can't have someone like HIM be an EVA pilot. The ANGELS and the LEGION wouldn't have stood a chance."  
  
"They still didn't and don't, with you as a pilot, Shinji," Misato said.  
  
Shinji blushed, like the old Shinji would have, at the compliment.  
  
"Anyhow, I started Thai Stick Combat Training today. It was pretty cool really. Accept he smacked my hand, and look," Shinji held out his hand, and the left index finger was swollen and bruised.  
  
'And your AT field activated in the middle of fight, so the Sensei halted practice to let you calm down," Misato thought.  
  
They had finished lunch by now, and Shinji was drinking the last of his iced mocha, when he looked up at Misato.  
  
"So. Misato, what was this project you mentioned wanting me to try?"  
  
"Oh. That. Well, do you remember offering to help us expand the base," Misato asked.  
  
"Yeah, want me to get the EVA and head into the pit?"  
  
"Yeah, if you would, they crews are having a hard time digging the stone next to the base, and I thought you could help," she said.  
  
"Not a problem," Shinji said, standing up. Misato and Kaji did the same.  
  
She hugged Shinji, and then watched him leave. Yes, he certainly had changed since Instrumentality. He'd found love, and lost it, but retained hope that it would all work out in time. She felt a small tear form, and drip slowly down her cheek.  
  
"Hey, love, what's wrong?" Kaji asked.  
  
"Just thinking about Shinji and Asuka. I hope he's right, and she is alive out there somewhere, I'd hate to consider the alternative."  
  
The technicians operating the lift controls for the construction pit saw the EVA approaching, and began bringing up the giant elevator.  
  
Shinji waited until the large machine elevator appeared, and, stepping onto it, dropped into the darkness. Soon he was being delivered deep underground to the new excavations at the heard of the NERV facility.  
  
He felt a microwave tingle, and activated his comm. system.  
  
"Yes?"  
  
"Shinji, Misato here, Ritsuko and I want to see if you can break up some of the rock in the pit, okay?"  
  
"Okay," he said, walking over to the edge of the pit, and stepping down into it. The pit was about five hundred feet across, and another fifty feet deep, so he had no problem getting in.  
  
"Okay kiddo, think you can beat that rock into gravel?"  
  
"Yeah, but I've got a better idea. We're just going to dig this hole straight down right?" he asked.  
  
"Yeah, that's the plan, why?"  
  
"Well I have an Idea. Stand back," he said, putting the scoop back where it had started.  
  
"Shinji what are you going to do," Misato asked menacingly.  
  
"Just watch Misato, and be quite. I need to concentrate."  
  
The EVA stepped to the center of the pit, and stood very still for a moment, then it began to do a couple of Tai-Chi moves, as Shinji relaxed, and focused his energies. After about a minute and a half, Shinji finished his moves, and stood very still at the heart of the pit. A soft orange glow began to build around him, and soon, there was a strong energy field encircling the entire pit. Suddenly the field collapsed into a single point, and stabbed downward right at Shinji's feet. For several more seconds nothing happened, then there was a rumble and the ground beneath them shook. A cloud of dust was thrown up all around the outskirts of the pit, and it took some time before anyone could see.  
  
Shinji was gone.  
  
Of course, so were several hundred meters of earth beneath where he'd been standing.  
  
Misato picked up her phone again.  
  
"Shinji!" she cried into the phone.  
  
"Um. Oww?" came the reply.  
  
"Shinji what happened, are you alright?"  
  
"Yeah Misato, fine. I just fell down to the new bottom of the pit. Forgot to expect that. Rather a big shock actually."  
  
"What did you do?" asked Misato, relieved and stunned.  
  
"I manipulated my AT field. Remember back when we were fighting Angels, I would spread my AT field when I was making an attack? Well this is what happens when you concentrate it to a single point, and expand it rapidly. It punches a large hole in the earth, and compresses the intervening rock in the walls, so I'd expect that they're stronger than any concrete structure ever made," Shinji explained proudly.  
  
"What gave you that idea?" Ritsuko asked.  
  
"Well last week Sensei and I spent a lot of time working on Chi manipulation, and I discovered that by concentrating, my AT field could be focused and manipulated. I spent the weekend trying to do something like this, but on a smaller scale. Being in the EVA, just allows me to go bigger."  
  
"The only problem is, that there's a series of Geo-Thermal vents all cross this region, and we think you may have chopped into them."  
  
"Nope, no problem there, Ritsuko. When I compressed the outer structure of the pit, I made sure to seal any possible fissures that would affect the vents. That way the Geo-Thermal plant won't loose efficiency, and we can still keep on digging out the expansion for the base."  
  
"Well, this raises a whole new series of possibilities. That, and it's going to speed up our construction time significantly. Think you're up to another shot?"  
  
"Sure thing, just tell me where," Shinji said.  
  
Ritsuko talked to the site supervisor, and gave Shinji his instructions.  
  
"Clear everyone out of the way, guys, this is gonna get messy," he said, and began to focus again  
  
In the bottom of the pit, Shinji positioned his hands against the walls, and began to focus. This time the orange glow appeared against one side wall, focused into a point, and vanished. Again there was a ground quake, and a slight shockwave, as a dust cloud began rising up, out of the pit, but this time they new what to expect, and as they recovered, Misato called Shinji.  
  
"Still doing okay?"  
  
"Yeah, no problem, punching a hole in the side of this shaft is easier on the rear end than dropping into a hole like this," he said.  
  
"All right, go ahead and come up, I think we've accomplished more today than we thought we would," Misato said.  
  
"Sure thing. Here I come," and there was a purple flash flying out of the hole, and the EVA landed next to them.  
  
"Shinji, the readings I'm getting from your EVA, say your AT field strength is down to 73%. I don't want you to tire yourself out here; we never know when a Legion attack might occur, so I want you to take the rest of the day off and relax," Ritsuko said.  
  
"Yes Doctor Akagi," Shinji sighed.  
  
"See you later Misato," he said, as he boarded the elevator back to the surface.  
  
Next on Episode 2:14 of Neon Genesis Evangelion almost a year after the appearance of the first of the Legion, the new NERV base is expanding by leaps and bounds. New passages and buildings have sprung up underground, and EVA has a new launch bay deep within the new base. But all these improvements may prove to be of little use when a new threat develops.  
  
It's Evangelion Episode 2:14 Fighting for a brother's love 


	14. Episode 2:14

Disclaimer: Neon Genesis Evangelion is Owned by Gainax. Buy the DVD's of the Series and the Movies from them. I did, and it was worth every dime. I don't own anything except my DVD's, and this is done for my own satisfaction.  
  
Episode 2:14 Fighting for a brother's love  
  
Takes place after 1st season, and the End of Evangelion Movie.  
  
Presumed date is December 22nd, 2016  
  
Shinji awoke to the sounds of Kensuke revving the engine of his Suzuki Hayabusa II, and then the engine sounds softly faded.  
  
He stretched and yawned. 'Kensuke must be off to work. I almost miss piloting recovery missions,' he thought sleepily. 'But then again, I don't miss waking up at 5 am to be on station a little after 6.'  
  
He rolled out of bed, and headed to the shower. He spent plenty of time in there, soaking and letting the water run over him. He rubbed his face, and felt the bristles of his beard scratchy against his hands. He hadn't shaved in about a week, so it was beginning to grow out. He actually felt pretty good that he had to shave that often. Kensuke only shaved once a month, and probably really didn't need to do that, as light as his facial hair was. Toji, on the other hand, was shaving every day, and complaining that his face kept breaking out. Shinji had finally convinced him to get a wet/dry electric razor, and shave wet.  
  
Shinji decided that he'd go ahead and wait to shave, it wouldn't hurt to wait a day or two.  
  
'Not like I'm going to be kissing anyone anytime soon,' the thought, listlessly.  
  
He still hoped that Asuka would keep her promise and return to him, but he was missing her more and more each day. Shaking his head, he shut off the water, and climbed out, toweling himself off, and went back to his room to dress.  
  
Finished dressing, and tidying up his room he headed downstairs to get some breakfast. He made a light meal, and gathered up is paperwork from the day before. He sat down to examine the new information that Ritsuko had been so excited about. Apparently the EVA's armor had altered since Instrumentality, and was now a part of the body.  
  
There were cells on the surface of the units skin that generated a plastic like Chitin molecule and some very complex proteins. The effect was that the EVA was now covered in a living Exoskeleton, very much like an insects. It helped regulate the EVA's body temperature, and was resistant to heat and energy based attacks.  
  
Ritsuko was still trying to figure it all out. She was having a new lab built in the expanded NERV facilities, so she could continue her EVA studies. There were several rooms large enough to hold the EVA, and she'd brought in salvaged computer and medical equipment from all across Japan.  
  
Shinji was proud of his work on the new base. Thanks to his efforts, and the manipulation of his AT field, he'd been able to complete the work of a decade in mere months. The construction crews had immediately swarmed into the large empty chambers and begun filling them with steel beams, building the NERV facility outward and downward. There was still a huge amount of work to do, but the excavation work was taken care of.  
  
No one wanted to be caught out in the open when the next Legionnaire attacked. Many of the residents here had seen the devastation caused by the Angels in Tokyo-3 first hand. Misato had had Shinji working overtime on several different projects using his unique tunneling ability to fashion passageways and shelters deep under the base. The passageways linked the housing areas directly to the central NERV Base. Now, one no longer need spend long minutes exposed on the surface. Instead, you could travel down the tunnels composed of diamond hard compressed stone, created by Shinji/EVA.  
  
Oh, there were still a few places not connected to the tunnels, but they were growing fewer and fewer each day. There was even a tunnel entrance less than 100 feet from where he stood right now. The house to the west his had been gutted, leaving only an empty shell, and a stairway leading down. At about 75 feet below ground the stairway opened up into one of the large tunnels. It was more than twenty feet across, and so smooth, the surface was almost like glass.  
  
Misato and Ritsuko had originally planned that this tunnel and all the others like it would have Monorails similar to the main NERV monorail, but Shinji had pointed out that it would be hugely time and labor consuming to construct such a system. Instead, he offered, they should just bring several street bikes down, and they could be used for rapid transit down the tubes.  
  
Now, instead of taking a leisurely ride over green forested hills into the Monorail Parking Structure, and the above ground entrance to the NERV base, most people hopped on a bike, and shot down the tube's to their destination. The underground terminus for all the tunnels was within an underground chamber especially constructed to serve as a large parking garage and transfer point for the motorcycles that ran back and forth. The biggest drawback was air quality. It sucked, so several fans blowing fresh air into the base and the tunnels had to be installed. This had fixed the toxic fumes problem.  
  
He finished his third cup of coffee, decaf, because Ritsuko was worried that excessive caffeine might affect his biochemistry, and she was always wanting to take readings on him, untainted by stimulants, or other, odd, chemicals. That meant no bacon, to many nitrates, and a number of other things were right out.  
  
The back door opened, and Toji walked in, bleary eyed.  
  
"I'd offer you a cup, but it's unleaded, and won't do you much good," Shinji smiled. "How late did you and Hikari stay up watching movies?"  
  
"3:30. She drifted off sometime before that, but I was too comfortable to get up and come back home," Toji yawned.  
  
"You know, that's the fourth time in as many weeks that you two have fallen asleep together watching movies, you keep it up, and Kensuke and I are going to think that you're living in sin," Shinji joked.  
  
Toji glared at him as only those who were suffering from too little sleep, and too much friendly advice, could glare. A happy and taunting Shinji Ikari was not something he'd ever get used to.  
  
"Okay, Okay," Shinji said, conceding defeat. "But, you know, sooner or later she's going to ask you to make it a permanent arrangement."  
  
"Yeah, I know. We've talked about it, but..."  
  
"But what?"  
  
"Well, I don't want to abandon you and Kensuke. Hey we ARE the three Musketeers after all."  
  
'More like the three Stooges,' Shinji thought, thinking of Asuka's favorite epithet for the three male friends.  
  
"Toji, you'll be living right next door, not on the other side of the planet. And it would give you and Hikari time to explore what its like to live together as a couple. Maybe even make the relationship more serious," Shinji observed, but thought, 'although if it gets much more serious Toji's going to be ring shopping.'  
  
"I don't know. She and I have decided that, until something changes, for now, we'll keep this arrangement, and live apart. Living together is just too much of a temptation for us right now."  
  
"Good luck, old man. I have to say, though, I envy you your problems. Anyhow, I've got to get to the base. I have a lesson with Sensei starting in 45 minutes, and I want to check in with Misato before I have to go. See you tonight," Shinji said, shaking his friends hand, clasping his shoulder, and walking out the back door.  
  
He walked to the house to the west of his, and opened the door, walking inside with ease. There was nothing here, except an empty room and a stairway that led down, into the bowels of the earth. He descended, and came into the tunnel leading to the NERV base. There he got on his street bike, put on his helmet, and sped to work. Five minutes later, he'd arrived, parked his bike in the garage, and was on his way to the Command Center.  
  
He found Misato sitting behind her desk, and enjoying a cup of coffee. He smiled. She hadn't had so much as a single can of beer since waking up next to Kaji that morning on the beach, and she seemed much the better for it. Although since the Legionnaires had arrived, he was sure she'd been tempted.  
  
"Hey Misato, anything up for today?" he asked.  
  
"Nope, the guys in excavation have decided that what little bit remains they can manage themselves, so no playing in the dirt for you today. Ritsuko wants you to stop by after your training session this morning. She wants to test out some of the new medical scanners that she's scavenged, to see if they can tell her anything new about the EVA."  
  
"So it's Shinji the Human Guinea Pig to the rescue. Jeez. If I'd know she was gonna be this pushy, I'd have taken Professor Fuyutsuki and left her on that beach by herself," Shinji joked.  
  
Misato laughed. "I know you've got it rough sometimes Shinji, but she only wants to help."  
  
"Okay, well then I'm off for practice with Sensei," he said.  
  
"What are you working on today?"  
  
"Brazilian Jujitsu. It's all about holds and joint locks. I only hope that the next Legionnaire that I end up facing has places to hold and joints to lock, but oh well," he shrugged, smiling, and heading to the elevators.  
  
He came out on the surface, into the Monorail parking garage, and began to jog to the gym. From here it was a little over 6 miles, and he was determined to make it there in less than 40 minutes. He did, but was a little winded, so he spent some time walking around with his hands over his head, elbows thrown back to let as much air into his lungs as he could get. When he'd cooled down, he went inside and changed into his workout gear.  
  
Sensei proceeded to stretch, pull, and twist him into several painful positions, making him duplicate them when he thought he understood them. He didn't really like this kind of fighting, because it meant he was down on the ground, and the few times he'd been down on the ground with the EVA he'd almost been beaten, but he guessed that's why Sensei was having him practice like this. They were nearing the end of their scheduled session when an alarm sounded, and Shinji looked in alarm at the Sensei.  
  
"Legionnaire," they both said, recognizing the alarm.  
  
They didn't bother to change, instead they ran out of the gym, and Sensei drove Shinji back to the Monorail at break neck speeds.  
  
"Go with god, Shinji," Sensei said to his back, as he sprinted for the Monorail.  
  
Diving through the closed doors, Shinji finally reached for his phone, and dialed the Command Center.  
  
"Misato, what is it?"  
  
"Looks like we've got a Legionnaire sighting. Kensuke just radioed in to tell us that he's seen something huge coming out of the bay where old Tokyo- 3 was. He says it's not moving real fast, but it's headed due south."  
  
"Right for us?"  
  
"Got it in one kiddo."  
  
"Ritsuko done poking and proding my EVA?"  
  
"Even if she wasn't, she is now. She's expecting you. Need anything?"  
  
"Just a clear path, and a good launch."  
  
"We'll do our best. Luck Shinji," Misato said, hanging up.  
  
Shinji finally got off the Monorail, and dashed for a special elevator put at the end of a long bank of newly installed units. He passed his NERV id into the slot, and it opened up for him. There was only one button, marked "EVA" and he pressed it. Immediately the bottom dropped out of his stomach as the elevator dropped 500 feet in a mater of seconds. The doors opened and a huge room greeted his eyes.  
  
There in the center of the room, knelt his EVA, waiting for him. Ritsuko had wheeled some of the test equipment in here, but it was now all pushed up against the walls. Shinji was grateful she'd cleared it away. He didn't want to break it when entered the EVA.  
  
Then he was standing below the EVA, and expanding his AT field. When it reached the S2 Unit, Shinji vanished from the room, and the EVA's eyes glowed.  
  
Shinji/EVA stood up, and walked over to a large square, painted on the floor of the room. He touched two large circles on the wall, and several dozen thick hatches snapped open between him and the surface, giving him a straight shot.  
  
"Ready Shinji?" came Misato's voice.  
  
"Ready for lift, Misato," he replied.  
  
Two large trapezoid shapes, composed of huge pieces of steel, lifted off the floor, and up to shoulder height. He turned and snapped into the cradles, and braced himself. There was a sudden jerk, and he was shooting toward the surface. As he approached two long poles were pushed out ahead of him, and he arrived on the surface with a clang, the cradles stopped at the end of their run by the top of the poles. He stepped forward and readied himself.  
  
"Distance and heading, Misato?"  
  
"East by Northeast, about 200 kilometers out. It's not moving very fast, so maybe that's a good sign," she said hopefully.  
  
"I don't think there is such a thing as a good sign where the Legionnaires are concerned. Kensuke still orbiting or is he clear?"  
  
"He's holding position about 20 kilometers out, but he's near an area where we've had several groups Awaken in the last couple weeks. He's already picked up one couple there this morning, and we were hoping that he'd get another group before the morning window closed."  
  
"Well tell him heads up, I'm coming in."  
  
"Shinji, what are you doing?"  
  
"I'm going for a run Misato," and with that, Shinji/Eva took off at a run to the coordinates furnished him. The ground under him shook, as he hurtled across the countryside. A huge purple monster sprinting for all he was worth across the breadth of Japan.  
  
"Would you look at him go," shouted Shigeru Aoba, "He's breaking 200 miles per hour."  
  
"Now that's fast," agreed the other tech, Makoto Hyuga.  
  
"How long till he hits the target?" Misato asked.  
  
"Um, if he continues at this speed he'll be there in under 30 minutes."  
  
'That is fast,' Misato thought. "Okay, someone get me Aida, and tell him helps coming, and he's to stay out of the way, and orbit just in case."  
  
Shinji watched more and more of the countryside pass below him, and things that would normally have been enjoyable to look at flashed by in a blur. He loved this feeling. Pure exhilaration, and adrenaline. He'd be there soon, and then this Legionnaire would pay for thinking it could take him.  
  
Maya Ibuki found herself lying on a beach. Somewhere. It wasn't like any beach she'd ever seen, though. She'd seen sand before, but the red sea before her was something different. She wondered where she was, and then the images began to flash through her mind. The assault on NERV by the JSSDF, and the culmination of 3rd Impact, and Instrumentality.  
  
"But it didn't work. Shinji said no," She whispered, and smiled. He'd finally gained a backbone. When the rest of humanity had collapsed and joined into a single conscious mind, Shinji Ikari had refused. He'd accepted a life filled with pain, rather than an eternity as part of the whole.  
  
"How remarkable," she said.  
  
Down the beach, the wind carried the sound of crying. It sounded like a little girl. She got up and walked down the beach, until she found a small girl, not more than eight. Clutching a teddy bear, and crying into its fur.  
  
"Hello, are you alright? My name is Maya. Can I help you?"  
  
"Oh," sniff, "Oh thank goodness. I thought I was alone," she wailed, "just me and mister snuffles. And I don't want to be alone," she began to cry again, starting to hiccup.  
  
"There there," Maya said, gathering the girl to her. "We'll see if we can't find your family, but first we need to figure out where we are. Alright?"  
  
Another sniff, more hiccupping, "Alright," squeaked a reply.  
  
"My name's Maya Ibuki. What's yours?"  
  
"Mari Suzuhara."  
  
"Aida here. Over."  
  
"Kensuke, we've just had a Pattern Red appear between you and the target, two kilometers north of your position. Over."  
  
"Roger. Contacts 2 Kilometers North. I'm beginning to approach for pickup. Once we have the Awakened onboard we'll make a run for the base. Over."  
  
He gave power to the engines, dropping out of the sky quickly, toward the beach. He quickly spotted the two figures there, and considered landing inland from their position on a road about a half mile in, but the Legion was too close, barely 10 klicks away. He'd have to make this a fast pickup, if they didn't want to get caught in the crossfire.  
  
He dropped down, and landed as close to them as he dared, as his two crewmen jumped off and drug the two frightened Awakened aboard.  
  
"Hang on, we're getting out of here fast," he shouted, as his crewmen slammed the door shut, and shouted for him to go.  
  
They were arrowing up into the sky when he saw the purple blur.  
  
"My god, is that Shinji and Unit-01?" the woman behind him asked.  
  
"Yes Ma'am, he made pretty good time too. Less than 30 minutes from here to Nagoya-2. That's almost 200 miles per hour."  
  
"Shinji, my brother knows a guy named Shinji," said the little girl with the woman.  
  
Kensuke poured power to the engines, and began a high-speed climb away from the coming battle.  
  
"Oh yeah, who's your brother?" he asked, trying to keep his mind off Shinji and the Legion.  
  
"Toji Suzuhara."  
  
Shinji cleared the last of a small chain of hills and saw Kensuke's VTOL lifting off on his right, gaining altitude.  
  
'Damn it,' he thought, 'this had to happen here. Now. He's too close, if this things got some kind of energy weapon Kensuke's toast.'  
  
He saw it then, coming out of the sea. The water was less than 50 feet deep here for several miles, and Shinji could see that it had traveled across the small bay from the opposite shore, where Kensuke had first sighted it, traveling over a small peninsula.  
  
The Legion had a head like a goats, but covered by bone instead of fur. The eyes were dull read, and its skin was covered in bony scales that were huge. It had a long, segmented, tail that looked more like the fossil tail of a dinosaur than something you'd find on a living breathing creature. If this thing did breath.  
  
Suddenly the thing noticed the flying aircraft, receding in the distance, and it stood up to it's full height, a large jewel in it's chest glowing brightly.  
  
"Energy Weapon. It's going to fire. Go Kensuke, Go!" he shouted, spreading his AT field, and placing himself between the Legionnaire and Kensuke's ship.  
  
The red blast that came out of the things jewel hit his AT field and sparked, throwing shafts of light around the beach. Wherever they touched the ground blacked, and the vegetation burned.  
  
"We're clear Shinji, we're clear. I've got the first range between us, and I'm heading for the next valley," Kensuke reported.  
  
"Stay low and fast until you're another 5 miles out," he grunted, holding the AT field.  
  
"No problem. Oh, and you need to get ready for another welcome back party, so hurry up and hand this thing it's ass."  
  
"Roger Kensuke. Ikari out."  
  
Now he could concentrate all of his energy to the battle at hand.  
  
The thing before him took a step back, and the beam cut off. It's head slithered from side to side, and the whole body writhed like a snake. It brought up its arms, and its four fingered hands curled into fists. The fists tipped back and spikes that looked like bone slid out of the wrists. The creature grasped the spikes, which were still attached to its arms, and stepped back. It shook itself like some kind of shaggy beast, though no hair was present, and six small decayed wings sprouted from it's back, shaking free.  
  
The goat head smiled, and Shinji could smell it's fetid breath. He reached behind him, pulling the Lance of Longinus from his back, and grasped it in both hands. It separated into two short wide blades. He brought his AT field back from where he'd extended it, and gathered it around him in it's usual protective field.  
  
The thing let out a bark of laughter and attacked.  
  
It came at him fast stabbing with blinding speed. Shinji knocked the spikes aside with one of his blades, and jabbed with another. He scored a hit on the things shoulder, and it howled in pain, jerking back. It swung a great arm in a roundhouse style attack, and he again got an arm up to deflect the attack, but the other arm darted in underneath, and the spike there stabbed him in the gut.  
  
He jumped back and took up a defensive stance, waiting for it's next move.  
  
The thing jumped in the air, and it's wings glowed with an eerie eldritch energy, and grew until they were truly huge. It hung there in the air, the six wings overlapping, casting a terrible shadow across the ground. As the shadow touched Shinji he felt his life force draining from him. His AT field sparked and became visible within the shadow, and began to dim.  
  
He jumped back, out of the things reach, and away from the shadow.  
  
'What the hell was that?" he thought to himself.  
  
It raised its head and shrieked it's fury at the sky, diving onto him, attempting to stab him with its spikes. He dodged aside, but then it's tail snaked around his chest, and drug him off his feet. Lifting him up into the air, it released him and he crashed back to earth, rolling to a stop with his back against a small hill.  
  
It was on him then, before he could get up, clawing and biting, its terrible breath fouling the air. He could feel his AT field failing again as it's shadow closed over him. It struck him with it's spikes, driving them into his chest, his stomach his shoulders again and again. He kept knocking the spikes aside, keeping them from doing any real damage, but it still hurt. And he could feel his AT field draining, his soul freezing.  
  
The thing finally managed to pin him to the ground with one of it's spikes, as it broke through his AT field and crashed through his shoulder, and deep into the ground. He screamed, and the roar shook the ground around him. The thing grinned with malice, enjoying his scream, and raised its other arm back, ready to repeat the motion again.  
  
Shinji dropped the Lance-blade from one hand and grabbed at the things neck, catching it, and squeezing. He could feel the cartilage crack and snap beneath his grip, and he gave a vicious yank, and the things throat tore free, but still it smiled down at him.  
  
He concentrated his failing energy and the Lance-blade he'd dropped joined with it's twin and became a short thin blade. He stabbed it into the thing repeatedly, and still it smiled. Over and over the blade pierced its body, until at last Shinji felt the resistance he'd been hoping to find. Not in it's Chest, but down lower. High up in it's abdomen.  
  
The thing stopped grinning, and it's eyes locked on his, and the great faceted jewel in it's chest began to glow. He stabbed with the Lance-blade as hard as he could, driving it into what he had to hope was this things S2 Unit. He felt the resistance, the slight slippery slide, as it tried to slide away, then it bit, and the blade started to slide in.  
  
It howled, and the wings collapsed. It fell upon him, its tail limp, it's arms clawing at his, trying to withdraw the blade. It kicked him, trying to get him to flinch away. Shinji reached up with his free arm and grasped the thing again, pulling it closer to him, as the drove the blade in farther. Finally there was a snap and the blade broke through the things back.  
  
He felt his energy return, his soul lighten, and the beast collapsed upon him, lifeless.  
  
He lay there for a moment, recovering, and then looked at his ruined left shoulder. It was a mess. He reached up, and pulled the spike out of it. The spike grated against his bone, but he gritted his teeth and pulled. It finally slid free and he was able to stand up.  
  
Holding the Lance in his right arm, he put it back onto his back, where it rested, waiting for it's next call, and turned toward the southwest.  
  
"Shinji, you did it. Are you alright?"  
  
"I think so. I'm going to have to have Ritsuko look at this shoulder, but I should be able to make it back there no problem. I'm tired though, so I'm gonna walk back, not run, alright?"  
  
"Sure Shinji, as long as it takes. Just make sure you're in time for the party."  
  
"The party? What? Oh. Kensuke mentioned something about that, why, who'd he pick up?"  
  
"Maya Ibuki, the last NERV Command Officer who was missing, and a little girl."  
  
"Really?" he asked, flexing his shoulder, and trying to focus his AT field on it so it could begin the healing.  
  
"Arent' you going to ask who the little girl is?"  
  
"Oh, sorry, a little out of it. Who's the little girl?"  
  
"Toji's sister."  
  
He stopped walking. "The one who was injured in my first battle? The same little girl who used to keep Toji wrapped around her finger? Oh, I can't wait to meet this kid. I'll be right there," he said, and began to run.  
  
Next on Episode 2:15 of Neon Genesis Evangelion Asuka is adapting well to her life in Omsk Russia, and helps by gathering the eggs at a local farm. The keeper of the farm, and elderly Doctor will do his best to heal Asuka from the wounds she's received, but is it too little to late.  
  
It's Evangelion Episode 2:15 Open Wounds 


	15. Episode 2:15

Disclaimer: Neon Genesis Evangelion is Owned by Gainax. Buy the DVD's of the Series and the Movies from them. I did, and it was worth every dime. I don't own anything except my DVD's, and this is done for my own satisfaction.  
  
Episode 2:15 Open Wounds  
  
Takes place after 1st season, and the End of Evangelion Movie.  
  
Presumed date is April 7th, 2017  
  
Asuka rode Liebchen through the gates of the small farm, and drew up to the house. The sound of her horse drew the elderly man out of the house, and onto the front porch. He smiled and greeted Asuka as she jumped down from the horse, and gave him a hug.  
  
"Langley, my dear, it is good to see you," he said.  
  
"Good morning Doctor Ivanovich, how are you this morning?"  
  
"Quite well. Have you come for the eggs, or are you simply here to light up my day?" he smiled.  
  
"Yes, Sophia sent me out here to pick up the eggs, but I wouldn't' mind keeping you company if you'd have me," Asuka answered.  
  
"Certainly girl, but come, let us gather the eggs first, and then we make take our leisure."  
  
They walked out behind the house and approached the first of two long buildings. Asuka could smell the chickens before she was too close. Their droppings reeked.  
  
"You wouldn't think that something that smells that bad could taste so good," she commented.  
  
"Ha, true. I have to have someone come out here to clean the pens every day or two. All that chicken manure is good for the crops, but it has to decompose some, or it will burn them."  
  
"I didn't know that. Does it really burn?" Asuka asked.  
  
"Well, it's a chemical burn. Too alkali or too acid, I honestly do not know," he laughed.  
  
"But you are the keeper of all these chickens you must know very much about them."  
  
"No my dear, I keep chickens because I don't like people," the old man said with a laugh.  
  
Asuka laughed too, and they opened the doors and walked into the first building. There were maybe one hundred chickens here, each in its' own cage. The old man handed Asuka a large bucket filled with crushed dried corn and seeds. He took one himself, and, as they walked down the line of cages, they deposited a small amount of the feed in each little tin on the front. The seed spilled into a catch basin within the cage, and the chicken inside began to peck at the food. They had to repeat this several times until all the chickens had been fed.  
  
They returned their buckets, and picked up a couple baskets. As they traveled down the row, they would open a little door in the front of the cage, reach in, and remove the eggs within. Usually there was a single egg within, set on top of the small nest, but there were also some that were empty. It took only a few minutes, and they had four baskets filled. Three by Asuka, in the time it took the old man to fill his.  
  
"You are so speedy, you make me feel old," he said.  
  
She grinned at him, as she gathered the eggs, and set them outside the door. They left this building and entered the next one, repeating the same process there. When they came out, Asuka escorted the old man back to his house, then returned to gather up all the egg baskets. She carefully carried them back to the house where she removed two large saddle bags from Liebchen, and opened them to reveal two cloth lined carriers for the eggs. The sides of them were padded, so that they would absorb most shocks. She loaded the eggs into the carriers and was happy to note that there were about half a dozen left over.  
  
She put the carriers back in the saddle bags, and hung them on the rail of the front porch, she let Liebchen off his reins, to wonder in the yard, where he was soon cropping the grass, which was tender and green.  
  
She stepped into the house, and found Doctor Ivanovich heating some water up in a ceramic pot on his small woodburning stove.  
  
"Would you like coffee or tea?" he asked her.  
  
"Coffee," she said, setting the eggs in a small bowl on his table.  
  
He nodded and pushed a strange glass apparatus with a bowl on top and a spout on the bottom onto the ceramic pot.  
  
"What is that?" she asked.  
  
"My coffee maker. I dislike the weak filtered coffee that is so popular these days. Give me good strong coffee."  
  
"How does it work," she asked.  
  
"This rubber ring here forms a seal between the glass and the ceramic. When the water boils the gas expands, and pushes the water up the tube and into the chamber. We put our coffee in here, and the water bubbles, extracting the acids and flavors from the coffee. When the ceramic cools, the air inside condenses and forms a vacuum. It sucks the water back into the pitcher through the small holes, leaving the grounds behind. Perfect coffee, nice and strong the way I like it."  
  
Asuka had never heard of such a thing, used to electric coffee pots, and watched the pot heat up, fill the top chamber, bubble vigorously, and, after it was removed from the heat, suck the now brewed coffee back down.  
  
"That's amazing," she said.  
  
"Nah, not even a small wonder. Merely simple physics, brewing coffee with the help of the principle of Thermal Expansion."  
  
Asuka's expression darkened, and she turned away from him.  
  
"Child what is wrong, did I say something to disturb you?"  
  
"No, it's just a memory, nothing more," she said, sniffling.  
  
"Come child. I have been a Doctor for longer than you've been alive," he said.  
  
"It is nothing really," she answered.  
  
The old man, nodded quietly to himself and prepared two cups of coffee. He put them on a tray with a small bowl of sugar and fresh cream.  
  
"Come, child, let us go into the sitting room," he said, carrying the tray.  
  
They went into the other room where he set the tray down on the small table. He motioned her to take a seat, and she wiped a hand over her eyes and composed herself.  
  
He mixed the sugar and cream generously in one cup and handed it to her. For himself, he merely added sugar, and stirred his cup thoughtfully.  
  
"Child, do you know what kind of Doctor I was?"  
  
"No, tell me," she said.  
  
"I was a doctor of psychology," he said.  
  
"I had a psychology class in college," she said.  
  
"Truly. You went to University? But you are so young. Ah. I see. You are not the simple girl you have been pretending to be. Some kind of prodigy I expect?"  
  
"Yes, I was very special," she said.  
  
"Was? But you are special my dear."  
  
Asuka looked at her cup, and took a sip, before looking up at him with a weak smile.  
  
"That life is over for me Doctor. I belong here now," she said.  
  
"No my child, I sense that there is a greatness within you, even though it is buried by some tragedy."  
  
She said nothing.  
  
"You're body language, when you are reminded of something speaks volumes child. I noticed it the first time I saw you at the hotel. Will you allow me to help you?" he asked gently.  
  
"I don't deserve your help," she said.  
  
This was not the answer he'd expected. A yes or no, but not justification for him to ignore her. There was hope for the child yet.  
  
He drank some of his coffee, and thought about what little he'd learned about this girl. There must be a way to approach this.  
  
"So you think an old man like me is worthless do you?" he said.  
  
"No it's not that."  
  
"Then you are too ignorant to take the advice of an old man."  
  
"Now listen here, I..." she started, but then cut it off.  
  
'Ah,' he thought, 'this one had a lot of pride, but has suffered a blow to it. An insult can bring it to the surface, but she quickly suppresses it.'  
  
"Alright," she said, "what would you like to know?"  
  
"First, how is it that you came to be here?"  
  
"I was traveling from the east," she started.  
  
"Yes, yes, child, I know the vagaries of what you told everyone else. I want the truth."  
  
She hesitated, finally deciding on a course of action.  
  
"I was returning home to Germany from Japan," she said.  
  
"A long journey indeed," he observed.  
  
"I'd have been there soon enough, but my plane ran out of fuel over Novosibirsk, and I was forced to land. The fuel was jelled, and useless to me, so I set out on foot."  
  
He noticed that at this point she was breathing fast, and seemed to become tense.  
  
"Two weeks later, I rode into town here, and you know the rest."  
  
"Hardly, how did you happen to be flying a plane, as one so young, I would not expect you to know how?" he said.  
  
"I've had some training. It was part of my job."  
  
"So," he said, "you've had pilot training. Quite unusual. Why were you flying to Germany?"  
  
"My home is in Berlin. I was returning there."  
  
"I see. Did you not tell Sophia that you had been one of the first to Awaken?"  
  
"Well, yes," she shrugged.  
  
"Then you have been in Japan for approximately five months. Did you have to build the plane you were flying or salvage a wreck?"  
  
"No. I took one from an airfield," she said  
  
"So you spent five months looking for the perfect plane, before leaving Japan," he said, cocking his head at her.  
  
She didn't answer.  
  
"Why did you leave Japan?"  
  
"It's stupid. There was this... misunderstanding. And I left," she said, ending abruptly.  
  
"What happened to make you leave?" he asked.  
  
She stopped then and fiddled with her cup. She was not sure she could tell him, but maybe she could trust him. Just a little. Just enough.  
  
"A stupid thing really," she began to tear up, "A kiss. From a boy I knew."  
  
"Here child, was it that terrible a thing?"  
  
"No. That's just it. It was only the second kiss I'd ever had. Both of them with him."  
  
"Ah. And?" he asked gently.  
  
"It was wonderful. But his friends, our friends, saw us, and it was humiliating."  
  
"How. A kiss humiliating? The lilt in your voice tells the memory of that kiss fills you with joy."  
  
"I have no right to enjoy the memory, and I wish I could forget."  
  
"Why? What was this boy to you?"  
  
She paused again to look at him.  
  
"Doctor Ivanovich, promise me you'll never share what I'm going to tell you with another soul," she sniffed.  
  
"You have my word child," he nodded, giving her permission to release this secret.  
  
"Shinji was a good friend. He had saved my life on many occasions, and I'd never once said a kind thing to him. I might have whispered it to him once or twice, but I don't know if he ever heard me. We were... how to explain... we were roommates and teammates, and I treated him like crap. We awoke on the beach the day after Third Impact, and spent quite a bit of time together, and I realized that I cared for him. More than I had a right to. And I knew he cared for me. I knew it, and all he wanted was a kind word, and I couldn't bring myself to do it."  
  
She gave a big sob.  
  
"And then, at a friends wedding he kissed me, and I knew that I didn't deserve him. He was giving himself to me, and I wasn't worthy. And then one of our friends said something to spoil the mood, and instead of staying, I ran away. He chased after me, and caught me at the airfield. I was taking off, and he just stood there. And for the first time since my mother killed herself, someone said they loved me, and I knew they did. He did. He loved me, and I killed him." She broke into tears now, and he offered her what comfort he could.  
  
"The boy died?" he said softly.  
  
"As I took off, he was hit by my plane, and thrown into a bog. There's no way he could have survived the impact, and all he was trying to do was tell me he loved me," she said. "So I ran away," she said, "Our friends would never forgive me, so I couldn't go back. So I decided to go to Germany. No one there knows what I've done."  
  
"Ah. But instead you landed in Novosibirsk. What then?" he asked.  
  
"I found Liebchen," she said too fast.  
  
"They keep horses at the airfield?"  
  
"Well no, I had to look around before I found him outside of town," she said.  
  
"What happened after you landed?"  
  
"I went looking for signs of life in the city," She let out a loud sigh.  
  
"You were discovered by the gang," he guessed.  
  
She nodded.  
  
"And they assaulted you."  
  
She sobbed and shrugged her shoulders.  
  
He looked at her carefully.  
  
"Langley, dear, I think I can help you, but I would like to try something."  
  
"What?" she asked softly.  
  
"Hypnotic regression. I would like to take you back to the assault, and walk you through it, allowing you to face what happened, and to move beyond it."  
  
"I don't know if I can," she said.  
  
"Come, we will try. I want to you look at my spoon, and listen to the sound of my voice," he droned on, asking her to focus on the spoon, and droning on and on, until her eyes grew heavy and she slid into the trance.  
  
"Now, child, I want you to go back to the time you landed in Novosibirsk. Can you see it?"  
  
"Yes, she said dully."  
  
"You see people here, what are they doing?"  
  
She began to breath faster, and her voice took on a brittle edge.  
  
"They don't look friendly. One of them has a knife. The other one is grabbing my hair. Oh god, they're..." she was becoming excited.  
  
"Hush child, stop there, hush, this is a memory, the pain is long gone, there is nothing here that can hurt you. Nothing. Your body feels no pain, and remembers no pain. You are at peace. Now, continue."  
  
A subdued Asuka continued, "The tell me that they're going to take me. I can't do anything to stop them. I didn't want my first time to be like this. They knock me down and they're kicking me. I hurt. One of them has steel toed boots. He's really hurting me when he kicks me. He's a bad man. He's forcing my legs apart and kicking me. It hurts badly," she stopped.  
  
"What is it child?"  
  
"I... I don't know. I'm flying through the air, over the fields, and into the forest. I fall asleep. This. This is the same forest that I woke up in. It wasn't them who dumped me here."  
  
"Where are they, Langley?"  
  
"They're dead. They wanted to hurt me, they wanted to REALLY hurt me, so I killed them before they could hurt me. I hurt them permanently."  
  
"Did they sexually assault you?"  
  
"No. I stopped them."  
  
"Do you know how you stopped them?"  
  
"No. I just did."  
  
"Okay child. That is enough. I want you to begin to come out of your trance, you're body is beginning to get heavy, and you're eyelids are lighter. The things we have talked about here are just memories, and they can't hurt you, but you will no longer associate the pain with the event. It will feel as if it happened on a movie screen. It will concern you, but not twist you. You will remember that you stopped them, and that you are still the same person you were before they beat you. The person you are now is the person you wish to be, not the thing they would have made you. You are truly heavy now, and you can feel your whole body. This is a pleasurable sensation coursing through you. When I snap my fingers, you will awaken and remember all I have said. Do you understand?"  
  
She nodded.  
  
"One. Two. Three," he snapped his fingers.  
  
Asuka's eyes snapped open, and she looked around, startled. Then memory of what had happened, and what she'd talked to the old doctor about came vividly to her.  
  
A broad grin split her face.  
  
"Oh, Doctor Ivanovich, thank you," she said, throwing her arms about him.  
  
"I did nothing child, the work was all yours," he smiled.  
  
"But. It's just so wonderful. I have felt so... so... unclean, I guess, and now the weight is lifted," she marveled.  
  
"And the boy?"  
  
She suddenly darkened again.  
  
"Shinji," she said simply.  
  
"Do you regret Shinji's death?"  
  
"More than anything. I can never tell him how sorry I am."  
  
"Or how you really feel about him?"  
  
She bowed her head.  
  
"Well, I hope that you will continue to make your home with us, now that you have relieved your heart of this burden," he said.  
  
"Oh, I certainly will. I love it here. It's so different from anything I've known before," she said.  
  
"And Piotr will tell you that you are more than welcome. But I fear you will leave us, one day," he said. "But come child, you must get the eggs back, the hour is growing late, Sophia will already be starting dinner soon, and she will need your help."  
  
She started, and looked outside, the sun had marched across the sky, and hours more time had passed than she'd thought.  
  
"Goodbye, Doctor, and thank you again. I promise I'll come back again," she said, running out to grab the eggs and, mounting Liebchen, she began the short ride back into town  
  
The old man walked to the door.  
  
"Yes my child, you will come back, but when you finally come to terms with the feelings for your young man, the feelings you still can't admit, I think you will need to leave us. To settle this once and for all, and, to gain peace, you will have too," he murmured as she rode away.  
  
Next on Episode 2:16 of Neon Genesis Evangelion A year and a half since Shinji began his battles, and unbeknownst to all but a few people in Japan, a special day arrives for a certain young woman, and Shinji has disappeared. Misato is the only one who figures out where he is, and tries to comfort him, on this special day. After an exhausting day, Shinji and Ritsuko have one last surprise in store for the NERV commander.  
  
It's Evangelion Episode 2:16 Birthday blues 


	16. Episode 2:16

Disclaimer: Neon Genesis Evangelion is Owned by Gainax. Buy the DVD's of the Series and the Movies from them. I did, and it was worth every dime. I don't own anything except my DVD's, and this is done for my own satisfaction.  
  
Episode 2:16 Birthday Blues  
  
Takes place after 1st season, and the End of Evangelion Movie.  
  
Presumed date is December 4th, 2017  
  
The morning dawned cool and brisk. Though not as warm as the summer months, it was still not as cold as Misato remembered it being in the Decembers of her youth. She remembered snow, and skiing and ice-skating. Now there were very few places on earth that still had snow. Second Impact had altered the Earths rotation, as well as melting the poles, and Japan now fell within a region of almost tropical heat. The monsoons were still a persistent problem, sweeping across the Pacific Ocean to wash over the island nation, but they were less frequent than they had been.  
  
She got out of bed, leaving Kaji asleep, and got into the shower first. She was washing her hair, when she heard him stumble into the bathroom to use the toilet.  
  
"Morning love," she said.  
  
"Uh huh," Kaji grunted. He definitely wasn't a morning person. Not that she was, but she certainly had better mornings now that she'd stopped drinking.  
  
She finished her shower, stepped out, and toweled herself off. Kaji leered at her.  
  
"Oh you," she said, flicking his nose as he stared at her.  
  
"You know you like it," he said huskily.  
  
"Yes, I do, but I have to be at the Command Center in 45 minutes."  
  
"You driving or taking the tube?"  
  
"I'm gonna drive. It feels like a nice day, and I think I'm in the mood for a look at the scenery, not a couple miles of well lit but dull shaft."  
  
"Alright, well, I'll take a shower and come with you. Make me some coffee?"  
  
"Okay," she kissed him as he got into the shower, "it'll be waiting for you when you get out."  
  
She went downstairs, and started the coffee. When it was done she poured two cups, one for each of them, into their customary travel mugs, and added milk and sugar to hers. She sat there sipping until Kaji came down, and gathered his cup, taking it into the living room, where he sat down and put on his socks. She followed him in, and sat down next to him.  
  
"Ready?" he asked, looking up.  
  
"Just waiting on you."  
  
"Let's go then," he said, leading her to the front door. Once there they put on their shoes, and stepped through the door, walking down to where her convertible was parked. The got in and drove through the gates of the house that had once belonged to some General, and headed for the NERV Monorail Station and parking structure.  
  
It was a pleasant drive, and the early December sun was still low in the sky when they entered the garage. Fifteen minutes later they were entering the Command Center, to find Maya Ibuki and Makato Hyuga on duty there already. Misato smiled. Since they'd recovered Maya that morning in September, she'd rejoined their staff and had once again made herself invaluable. She seemed lonely however, and Makoto had commented to his commander that she seemed to be pining for someone.  
  
'A lost love whom had yet to return?' Misato had wondered.  
  
Many people were still missing friends and loved ones, but it didn't seem likely that many more people would be coming back. The patrols were still sent out every day, to look for the Awakened, but the numbers were down to a trickle. In the last two weeks they'd only found 34 people. Hardly more than 2 a day on average.  
  
The base, still felt empty, as it rightly should. The JSDF Airbase itself was designed to house over twenty thousand people, and there were just over 7,000 people living here now. Although the NERV complex was designed to function as an emergency shelter, it's original configuration could only hold about five or six thousand. The Expansion was probably easily good for three times that, so there was plenty of room to spread out.  
  
But, with the appearance of the Legionnaires, the people were fearful of being too far from shelter and protection, so most people were staying nearby. But not everyone.  
  
With the completion of the tube system, most people had moved their businesses and workshops to the NERV Command Center or the building immediately adjacent to the Command Centers main entrance at the Monorail Station, simply to feel secure. Misato couldn't blame them, she'd spent many Angel attacks relatively safe in a building much like this, while the world shook around her. The large cargo lifts were now in constant motion, bringing machines, vehicles and all sorts of supplies into the base. With so much extra room available down here, they were collecting quite a stockpile for themselves.  
  
She was just finishing up with the reports, which concluded with a notation that the three diaries were now up and running with more than 400 cattle each, and the first calves should be born some time in the next four to six months.  
  
Her phone rang, and she answered it quickly.  
  
"Yes."  
  
"Mr. Ikari has not shown up for his lesson."  
  
"Sensei? He's not there yet?" Misato glanced at her watch. Shinji was never late for anything, not in the two and a half years she'd known him, but it was 45 minutes after his usual scheduled appointment for his Martial Arts instruction.  
  
"I don't know where he is Sensei, but I'll check on it. Go ahead and take the day off."  
  
"Not a problem, Commander, I just figured you should be aware of this. Goodbye."  
  
She hung up, and dialed Shinji's cell. No answer.  
  
She called Hikari's number.  
  
"Hello?"  
  
"Hikari, it's Misato, have you seen Shinji this morning?"  
  
"No Misato, not since last night."  
  
"Last night?"  
  
"Yes, he was outside packing some things on his bike. Toji said he asked him what was up, but Shinji just told him he was taking care of something, and he'd be back."  
  
"Okay. Toji already at work?"  
  
"Yeah, he left here an hour ago. Mari, Nazomi and I were thinking about going by to visit him later today. I just got qualified to drive a car, so we're going to take a shuttle bus in, and requisition a car."  
  
"Congratulations Hikari, and thanks," she said, hanging up.  
  
Next she dialed Suzuhara's cell.  
  
"Yeah." He answered.  
  
"Toji, Misato, Shinji's missing, and Hikari said you saw him last night."  
  
"Yeah, hang on," there was a pause. "Sorry, I was in the middle of a stubborn transmission rebuild, and my hands were covered in grease. Anyway, I saw him loading up the Goldwing last night with a sleeping bag and his cello. When I walked over to ask him what he was doing, he said he had something he needed to do, so he was going to take today off."  
  
"Did he say where he was going or what he was doing?"  
  
"Nope."  
  
"Alright, if you hear anything, let me know."  
  
"Sure thing Misato," Toji said and hung up.  
  
"Shinji's missing?" Kaji asked.  
  
"Yes," Misato stated simply.  
  
"That's not very responsible."  
  
"No it's not. Which is VERY unlike Shinji."  
  
"So it must have been something he thought was very important," Kaji said.  
  
"Yes, it must be. Hmm. I wonder. Kaji, what's the date today?" she asked him.  
  
"December 4th. Why?" he asked puzzled.  
  
Comprehension hit Misato like a brick wall.  
  
"I know why he's gone, just not where," she said.  
  
"Oh?"  
  
"Yeah. Kaji dear, you don't mind catching a ride back home with someone else do you? I need to go for a drive. I'll be home tonight, I promise."  
  
"Sure Misato. Going to look for Shinji?"  
  
"Yes. I have a hunch about where he'll be, and I want to go check it out."  
  
"Okay. Keep your secrets and drive safe," he said kissing her cheek as she left.  
  
Twenty minutes later found her driving up the highway, traveling east. This journey was much easier for her than it had been for Shinji and Asuka when they'd first awakened. They'd spent some time moving and collecting all the cars that had littered the freeway after Third Impact. It took her the better part of 2 hours to find the place that Shinji had told her about, but there it was, right on the south side of the highway, at the intersection with a smaller roadway.  
  
She pulled her car into the restaurant parking lot and got out. Walking inside she saw that this place had been cleaned out pretty well. Shinji must have come back here at some point and cleaned it all up. She stepped into the kitchen and checked the freezer and the refrigerator. Bother were empty and looked spotless.  
  
He had spent some time here. Cleaning those two large appliances out had taken time. She turned and walked back into the restaurants dining room and was prepared to walk through the front door when she noticed it. A small glass vase, red glass, and very beautiful sat in the center of a table with a single red rose in it.  
  
The dark crimson color of the flower made Misato immediately think of Shinji's budding rose garden. He'd planted a large garden of red roses behind his house, and spent much of his free time tending them or his large vegetable garden.  
  
She examined the condition of the flower.  
  
'He's been here recently. Within the last 12 hours at least.'  
  
She walked back out to her car, and started it up. She'd followed her hunch this far, now to see if she was just lucky, or knew exactly what was going through his mind. She turned and followed the road down to the beach, and parked in the lot, before a line of dunes. Shinji's Goldwing was here, and a light sleeping bag was poking out of one of the saddlebags.  
  
She got out of the car, took her shoes off, and began to walk towards the ocean. As she neared, a faint thrumming filled the air, and she realized that it was the delicate sound of Shinji's Cello.  
  
She walked over the last dune and found him, seated on a small driftwood stump, sticking out of the sand. He had his eyes closed, and was playing from his heart. There was some sheet music here, but it was under a rock, next to him, and he wasn't even looking at it. She walked up to him, softly, not wanting to disturb him.  
  
"Hello Misato," he said softly, continuing to play.  
  
"Hello Shinji. You know you had us worried. You didn't tell anyone where you were going."  
  
"Sorry about that. I just had to come out here. I figured if anyone really needed me my emergency beeper would go off. Otherwise, I wanted to be left alone."  
  
"Oh. Well I'm sorry to have disturbed you Shinji, I'll go ahead and go back to the base. I just wanted to check on you."  
  
"No. Please. Stay. The fact that you knew where to find me, shows that you knew why I came here."  
  
"It's her birthday. She's 16 years old today," she said, 'provided she's still alive,' she added silently.  
  
Shinji nodded and continued to play. Misato marveled at the music he was creating. After ten minutes she spoke up again.  
  
"Is this the piece I've heard so much about?"  
  
"The one I wrote for Asuka? Yes. I completed writing it a few weeks ago, but I've never played it all the way through for anyone. I had planned to give it to her today, but she's not here, so I thought I'd come here, and play it. Maybe somewhere, she's looking out over a sea like this, and thinking of me as well."  
  
She admired the way his fingers danced over the neck of the cello, and his smooth gentle strokes on the bow. Hikari was right. Shinji's love for Asuka was pouring out of this song. This young man loved that young woman very much, and if there were any justice in the world, one day she'd return that love. And come back to him.  
  
She noticed that Shinji was repeating the song again, as she'd heard this part just as she pulled up.  
  
"Playing it again?"  
  
He nodded. "This is the last refrain. I tried to convey my feelings for her within the notes of the music. This part is meant to be melancholy, describing our kiss, her flight, and the promise of her return."  
  
"You did very well Shinji. She'll love it."  
  
Shinji played on, finally coming to the end of the song, and letting the last note fade and be drowned out by the sound of the breeze and the ocean slapping against the beach. He turned and put his cello in it's case, and lay the sheet music on top of it before closing it. Misato noted he had tears in his eyes.  
  
She hugged him to her, comforting the brave young man.  
  
"I know why she had to leave Misato, I just wish I could have helped her."  
  
"You did Shinji. Wherever she is, she knows that you love her, and that is more than that young woman has had in over a decade. With her mother dead, and feeling like her father betrayed that memory by marrying so soon, Asuka never allowed anyone into her heart. Not until you. I know she loves you Shinji. She just has to let herself accept that, but before she can, she's got to come to terms with her own inner demons. While you fight the outer ones to keep us safe," she smiled.  
  
"Thanks Misato," he said.  
  
He turned to look back out at the ocean.  
  
"Did I ever tell you that I tried to kill her, right here on this spot the first morning we Awakened?"  
  
"You did?"  
  
"Yeah. I'd just Awakened from Instrumentality, and looked over to see her. My emotions were so conflicted that nothing made sense. Finally the rage I'd felt at her for all those months of teasing and abuse just overwhelmed me, and I started to choke her. I fully intended to kill her at that moment. Then with my hands wrapped around her, he reached up and brushed my face. And I knew she was sorry for what she'd done, but couldn't bring herself to apologize. I stopped, and began to cry, and she looked at me, and told me I made her sick. I think her exact words were 'You're disgusting' or something like that. I passed out a few minutes later, and when I woke up, it was the next day, and we were both much better."  
  
Misato just stood there and listened. Shinji turned.  
  
"I'm ready to go back to the base now. Can I ask you a favor? Could you take my cello in your car? It's pretty awkward on my bike."  
  
"Sure thing Shinji," she said, taking it from him as they walked back to the lot. Once she had the Cello in her car, Shinji got on his bike and started it. The return trip to Nagoya-2 didn't take them long, and Shinji rode beside her almost the entire way. Before she entered the base, she called ahead, to let the others know she'd found him, and he was alright, but not to ask unless he offered to tell them about his day.  
  
"Want to watch the sunset with me?" he asked.  
  
"Um, sure. Do you mind if Kaji comes along?"  
  
"No that would be fine. Meet me at Ikoygen park about 15 minutes before sunset?"  
  
"Sounds good."  
  
She went down into the base, and met up with Kaji.  
  
"Asuka?" he asked.  
  
"Yeah, how did you know?"  
  
"After you asked me the date, I tried to remember what was so special about it. About five minutes after you left, it hit me. December 4th. Asuka's Birthday."  
  
"Well, we've been invited to watch the sunset with Shinji, and I think we should be there. For moral support if nothing else."  
  
"Great. In the meantime, it seems that this base can not function without you. Here's your messages," he said, handing her a stack of papers.  
  
Misato sighed.  
  
At 4pm Misato and Kaji left the base, and traveled to the park that Shinji had indicated. Not seeing his bike in any of the parking lots, Misato continued to drive around until she found a road leading up to the top of a butte that was at the edge of the park. Shinji's bike was here, and the young man was sitting on top of a picnic table, watching the sun set behind him as he looked out to the eastern sea.  
  
"Uh Shinji, the sun's setting in the west tonight," Kaji noted.  
  
Shinji laughed," I know that Kaji, but when I watched my first sunset from here with Asuka we were looking east. It was a week after we came here, and I remember thinking about how beautiful she was there in the setting sun. The ocean still doesn't look right, you know, and it's been almost a year. You'd think I'd be used to it by now."  
  
Kaji looked at Misato, and his expression conveyed it all. 'Man he's got it bad.'  
  
Misato nodded. They stayed there with him until true darkness had fully fallen, and the moons were clearly visible in the night sky.  
  
"Well, anyway, thanks for coming up here guys. And Misato?"  
  
"Yes?"  
  
"Thanks for looking for me. It's nice to know that you care," he said, smiling.  
  
"Turn that charm off right now Mister Ikari, that's my wife you're making googley eyes at," Kaji growled playfully.  
  
All three of them laughed.  
  
"Anyway, I'm going to go ahead and go home. Kensuke will be wondering if I'm alright, and I don't want to worry Toji and Hikari."  
  
"How are those two doing?"  
  
"Good. You know they moved in together after Mari Awoke right?"  
  
Misato nodded.  
  
"Well, Toji doesn't say it, but I know he's ecstatic. Kensuke and I teased him and Hikari about them 'living in sin' but Hikari assured us that nothing has happened between them and nothing WAS going to happen until she and Suzuhara were married."  
  
"Good girl," Misato said, making Shinji and Kaji smile.  
  
"Anyway, I've got to get going. Hopefully Hikari saved me some dinner. Bye," he waved, and, mounting his bike, rode down the hill.  
  
Misato and Kaji had barely finished dinner when her phone rang.  
  
"Yes?"  
  
"Misato, it's Ritsuko. Are you doing anything this evening?"  
  
"Well we just finished dinner, why? Want to come over?"  
  
"No. I'm working on something in my lab. Could you and Kaji come by?"  
  
"Um sure, Ritsuko, give us a half hour?"  
  
"That will be fine."  
  
Misato showed up at Ritsuko's lab at the appointed time. Shinji and Professor Fuyutsuki were here as well.  
  
"Fancy meeting you here?" Misato said, not feeling pleased at this surprise.  
  
"We have something to show you. Something that we've been preparing in secret, but you have to know about because they're almost ready."  
  
"They?" Misato twitched.  
  
"Yes, Misato. They." Ritsuko turned and walked to a doorway, and used her passkey to open it. She stepped through, and motioned for the others to follow. Misato did so, and found herself on a darkened catwalk, the beam of light from Ritsuko's lab shining on the walk, the only source of light.  
  
Shinji shut the door, and the light vanished.  
  
"Ritsuko! WHAT'S GOING ON?" Misato shouted.  
  
"Just setting the mood," the sound echoed. And echoed and echoed. This chamber was huge.  
  
With a loud click the lights in the room came on, an Misato could see that this room truly WAS huge. Buried down here at the heard of the base, the temperature was higher than normal, and the room was quite stuffy. She discovered that she was on a catwalk stretching into the distance, perhaps a kilometer, and that there the catwalk divided and ran back down each side wall of the chamber, back to the door they'd entered through.  
  
The chamber itself was a large tubular design, the signature of Shinji's EVA assisted construction. She didn't remember having him make a chamber this deep, though, so Ritsuko must have set this one up. The size of the chamber didn't hold her attention for long.  
  
The half dozen forms lying below her in the LCL were too distracting, two of them larger than the rest.  
  
"EVA's," she said, looking from them back up to Ritsuko.  
  
"Close. Shinji calls them the Cherubim. Or Cherubs for short. Winged messengers of God."  
  
"YOU APPROVED OF THIS?" she shouted turning on Shinji.  
  
"Yes. I went to her after the first Legionnaire appeared, and talked to her about this. Get this straight Misato. I asked HER to do this. She wasn't sure, but I convinced her. We brought in Professor Fuyutsuki, because he has intimate knowledge of the creation of the EVA's. I made the decision to keep this from you until now," Shinji said.  
  
Misato blinked. Shinji did this?  
  
"But how?" she asked.  
  
"Not that hard really. We had tankers bring in the LCL, which the clones need to grow in, and then Ritsuko took some samples of vital cells around the EVA's S2-Unit. Placing them within the LCL, and hitting them with the right hormones, caused them to start growing. What you see here is the result of nearly six months of growth," Shinji said, indicating the two largest forms. "They should be ready for bonding in the next three months."  
  
"Bonding?" she asked.  
  
"Yes. The Cherub's aren't quite the same as the EVA series, that we knew. They operate, we hope, like my Unit-01 does now. No Entry plug, just a pilot, absorbed through the S2 Organ, becoming one with the Cherub. We contacted you now because we need to begin the screening process for the new pilots. When the Cherub's awaken, the pilots will need to be present to bond with them. This will imprint a single pilot on each Cherub.  
  
Misato was overwhelmed. This could NOT have been going on under her nose. She was the new commander of NERV, and she should have known about this.  
  
"You say these things are clones of the EVA?"  
  
"Yes. Although not exact replicas."  
  
"How is that possible?"  
  
"The DNA of the EVA is unstable when submerged in the LCL," Professor Fuyutsuki said.  
  
"UNSTABLE?" Misato shouted.  
  
"Not like that," Shinji replied. "More like... genetically pliable. Ritsuko's test have determined that when the Cherubs are ready they'll be about 20% less massive than the EVA, and, because the pilots won't have absorbed part of someone else's soul, they won't have an AT field. That's something only Asuka and I can generate."  
  
"Except for the one that we all have, that keeps us together," Ritsuko corrected.  
  
"Exactly," Fuyutsuki said.  
  
Misato just stood there shaking her head.  
  
"Shinji. Tomorrow after your training session is over I want to see you in my office. We're going to have a little discussion about secrets that you shouldn't keep," Misato said. And, with that, she grabbed Kaji by the hand and drug him out of the chamber.  
  
"I think she took it pretty well," Ritsuko said.  
  
Next on Episode 2:17 of Neon Genesis Evangelion The time has finally come, and the Cherubim are about to be bonded to their new pilots, but a new threat interrupts the proceedings. As Shinji battles three Legionnaires his friends face their own their greatest fears, and brightest hopes.  
  
It's Evangelion Episode 2:17 The Arisen. 


	17. Episode 2:17

Disclaimer: Neon Genesis Evangelion is Owned by Gainax. Buy the DVD's of the Series and the Movies from them. I did, and it was worth every dime. I don't own anything except my DVD's, and this is done for my own satisfaction.  
  
Episode 2:17 The Arisen.  
  
Takes place after 1st season, and the End of Evangelion Movie.  
  
Presumed date is March 1st, 2018  
  
"Today's the day," Shinji said, looking down upon the Cherubim, like a proud father.  
  
"Who do you think will be chosen?" Misato asked him.  
  
"Well, we have a pretty good selection of potential candidates, all of them will make good pilots. Those that aren't chosen today will be able to try again when the next two are ready," he said, indicating two of the half dozen large forms now taking shape in tanks at the end of the facility.  
  
Although the four at the end of the tanks looked like indistinct blobs, the nearer two were beginning to look something like Evangelions. They weren't though; they were Shinji's Cherubim. Smaller than an EVA by maybe 10 or 15%, they were eerily similar to the Mass Production EVA's that Seele had produced for the final assault of Instrumentality.  
  
Today the first two large white bodies would be joined to their new pilots. A dozen individuals had been chosen from nearly a hundred volunteers, to attempt the first bonding, and the plan called for any individual who was unable to bond with a cherub to be replaced by someone else, until all the new cherubs had a pilot.  
  
'Pilot,' Shinji thought to himself, 'that's not exactly a word that really applies to what they will become. What I already am.'  
  
Being a pilot implied that one was operating controls of some kind. These pilots would physically merge with their Cherubim, the bodies merging, becoming one, until the Cherub would be no more than the extension of the Pilots body.  
  
"Soul Mates," was the term one of the men had suggested, noting that although the bodies were different, the soul that was within the body was the same used to inhabit the Cherub.  
  
By consensus though, "Pilot" was decided upon as the term that would be used.  
  
'If only because Kensuke pushed for it so hard,' Shinji thought.  
  
His young friend had wanted more than anything to be chosen for an EVA pilot, but hadn't, and now saw this as his great opportunity. He'd been the first candidate Shinji had chosen. The next ten candidates were made up of young men and women that Shinji was only barely familiar with. Teenagers, and some in their early 20's, with training in martial arts, and/or with military backgrounds.  
  
Shinji looked down at the twelve gathered over in the corner, awaiting the word from Ritsuko that it was time to begin.  
  
Twelve.  
  
The last choice for Pilot Candidate had worried Shinji, and he'd agonized over it for weeks. Even Misato had urged him to reconsider, but he knew he had to at least offer.  
  
"Toji Suzuhara has suffered enough," she'd said, "let him be at peace."  
  
But Shinji had finally replied, "We'll never be at peace again Misato. None of us. I'm not saying he has to be a pilot. I just want him to have the opportunity. I know he still caries demons around inside of him because of the Unit-03 incident, I do too. Maybe this way we can both bury those demons."  
  
Misato had relented, and Shinji had asked Toji to come to his office at NERV the next day. Shinji had asked him if he knew why he was here, and Toji looked him straight in the eye and said yes. So Shinji skipped the twenty minute pep talk he'd planned to give Toji and asked him straight out, man to man, if he would consider being a Pilot Candidate.  
  
Toji had sat there silently for a minute before nodding. Looking up at Shinji, he seemed on the verge of tears, as he explained to Shinji that he wasn't sure he could do it, but he knew he had to try. For the sake of himself, and his new family. If he could Pilot a Cherubim, and keep them safe, he'd do it.  
  
Shinji had almost cried in relief, but held it in, not wanting to upset Toji any more.  
  
Now, standing down there, Toji seemed as relaxed as ever. He was rubbing the heads of Kensuke and a couple others, as they were all gathered in their flight suits. They had drawn lots early that morning to see in what order they would attempt to the Bonding. Kensuke was first, and Suzuhara had been chosen fourth.  
  
Shinji looked down at them. They were a good group, he decided, and they'd all worked hard. Sensei had agreed to take them all on as his students, and now Shinji was no long the only one getting tossed around the gym by the old man. The door opened at the end of the Catwalk, and Ritsuko walked in, carrying her ever-present clipboard.  
  
"Would the Candidates please come to attention," she shouted over the noise of the room, and silence descended. There were a fair number of people gathered here, to watch the ceremony, mostly the friends and family of the Pilot Candidates, but a few others as well.  
  
"Ladies and gentlemen, my friends, we are gathered here today, on this solemn occasion to celebrate a new period in the existence of mankind. No longer will we be victimized by the forces arrayed against us. Instead, we now control our destiny. I present to you the architect of that destiny. Pilot Shinji Ikari," Ritsuko stated in a booming voice.  
  
There were applause, and Shinji waved his hands, and the room quieted. He was still extremely nervous, but Misato had helped him prepare a speech, and he'd practiced and practiced until he could repeat it without thinking. He took a deep breath, clearing his throat, and began to speak.  
  
"My friends. When I was first told of my destiny by the Warrior Angels, I wondered how I would ever be able to accomplish such a daunting task. I realized immediately that it was not a task that one man could accomplish alone. So I asked Doctor Akagi to help me; to help me insure a future for mankind. And now Our hard work is finally rewarded, because today EVA Unit- 01 is no longer alone."  
  
Thunderous applause and shouts met this final statement, and Shinji waited until it died down to continue.  
  
"Now, the final step in the process. Candidates will come forward, and attempt to bond with a Cherubim as I bond with my EVA. If they are successful, they will become part of a new elite corps under my command. Pilot Candidates," he said, looking down at them, "I wish you luck, and tell those of you who will leave this room un-bonded, that there is no dishonor. It is simply not your time."  
  
He paused.  
  
"Mister Aida. If you would do us the honor of passing between the Cherubim."  
  
Kensuke nodded, and stepped out into the pathway Shinji had indicated. The bodies of the Cherubim had been stood up against the wall, on either side of the great hall, Before them each was a scissor lift unit that would lift the chosen pilot up, and allow the selected Pilot Candidate to come into contact with the Cherub's S2 Unit.  
  
Kensuke began a slow processional walk from his position with the other candidates, executing a sharp right turn, in military fashion, and proceeded to walk between the two white giants. Shinji could see him glancing from side to side, hoping for a reaction from one of the giants. He could see Kensuke tensing as he prepared to pass directly between the two S2 Units, and nothing had happened. Then, a soft glow emanated from the Cherubim on the right. Shinji almost cried in relief as Kensuke turned to face the unit, and the S2 Unit pulsed in response. He approached it, almost at a run, and the pulsing increased, until it was almost a steady light. He stopped and looked up at Shinji.  
  
Shinji looked down at Kensuke and silently mouthed, "Go for it."  
  
Kensuke jumped into the Scissor lift, and hit the controls, lifting himself up into the air, until he was before the now steadily glowing S2 Unit. Trembling, he reached a hand out to touch it.  
  
And vanished.  
  
There was a collective gasp from the crowd, and then an even louder gasp came from the Cherubim.  
  
"YEAH" boomed the things voice, and everyone within the chamber covered their ears. The Cherubim's color began to slowly change, and, after a few moments, it looked the spitting image of EVA Unit-00, complete with the white highlights accenting the stunning blue body.  
  
"Oh, sorry," Kensuke's voice repeated, softer, as he realized that this new body was much louder than his normal speaking voice.  
  
"Congratulations Pilot Aida. Please remain where you are, as the other pilots are chosen."  
  
Kensuke nodded, and kneeled down, silently watching and awaiting his friends chance to join him.  
  
"He looks like Unit-00," Misato whispered to Shinji.  
  
"Makes sense to me, I always suspected Kensuke had a crush on Rei," he said softly.  
  
Shinji looked down and saw that the next candidate was ready to begin his walk. Shinji nodded and the young man walked forward. Nothing happened as he passed before the second Cherubim's S2 Unit, and Shinji felt slightly let down. Oh well. There were still ten candidates to go.  
  
He looked down again, and nodded to the next candidate, a young woman, but she also failed to have that certain something that would make this Cherub's S2 Unit react. Oh well, today wasn't her day; Shinji was sure that it would come for her one day though. He had confidence in all of his chosen Pilot Candidates.  
  
Then he looked down a fourth time. Toji was ready to begin his walk.  
  
"Pilot Candidate Suzuhara. You may begin your walk, however, know this. There is no dishonor in withdrawing now. All of us here know what you have gone through, and there will be no shame if you decide to decline."  
  
Toji bowed his head, looked up at Shinji, then over to Hikari, who was standing on the catwalk, her little sister Nazomi, and his little sister Mari, and, smiling at them, began his walk.  
  
Before he'd even gotten to the place where the others had turned to walk before the S2 Unit, it had begun to glow. He approached the lift, hesitantly, as the Unit continued to throb, almost as if he were fighting down his own fears, which Shinji was sure he was. But he knew Toji would do it. There was never any doubt in his mind. Repeating the actions of Kensuke, he boarded the Scissor lift, and raised himself to the S2 Unit of the Cherubim. There was a small, final, hesitation as he reached out and touched it's surface.  
  
And vanished.  
  
The Cherubim showed no sign that anything had occurred, until its coloring subtly began changing. Soon, it was black with red highlights, mirroring Toji's old Unit-03. The EVA that had been destroyed as an Angel by Shinji's Unit-01.  
  
"Toji?" Shinji shouted.  
  
"I'm alright Shinji. This is just very different from piloting an EVA," replied the Cherub.  
  
Shinji nodded, and looked down from his friend to the remaining candidates.  
  
"Pilot Candidate's thank you for your attendance. The pilots for the first two Cherubim have been chosen, but it is my hope... damn" Shinji started as his beeper went off. As he pulled his beeper out, he could hear cell phones going off within the facility. Then the Alarm sounded.  
  
He looked at Misato. "Legionnaires."  
  
"Ladies and Gentlemen you are dismissed," he shouted, running for the elevator banks. He keyed his private lift, and shot up to where his EVA waited for him. Running into the large room, he extended his AT field as he went, and suddenly was snatched up by the light.  
  
He jerked, and lifted his head, looking up as the hatches above him snapped open, all the way to the surface. It had taken a lot of work, but there was now a lift system installed almost identical to the old one at NERV HQ. Shinji reached down and slapped the large panel beneath his right hand, and he was catapulted to the surface.  
  
Hurtling upwards he opened his comm. channels.  
  
"Situation?"  
  
"Three Legionnaires are coming ashore about 15 kilometers south of here. Looks like they want to crash our little party," Hyuga said.  
  
"Three?" he asked, stunned. The last time he'd had to fight three Legionnaires at once, he had almost been killed. Only a miracle at the last minute had saved him. He hoped that whatever Angels had been watching out for him last time were still around.  
  
He arrived at the surface, and the hatches snapped shut behind him.  
  
He turned and looked south. There, three large beings were wading out of the surf. As one, they turned to look at him. They were huge, larger than his EVA, and each looked at him with undisguised hatred. Two of them had dull read skin, and four huge muscular arms. Each arm ended in a three fingered hand, and on the end of each finger a claw or blade was visible, glowing with an eerie green light. In the center of their chest was a dull glowing S2 Unit.  
  
The third creature was even larger, but instead of arms it had two long tendrils trailing out of its shoulder joints. These Tendrils sparked and flashed with the same energy as the other claws.  
  
Shinji spun the Lance of Longinus before him, and laid it over his left forearm, letting it rest there comfortably, before assuming a ready combat stance. The things howled a challenge, and Shinji charged.  
  
He transformed the Lance into two smaller pieces, and willed each to change into his favorite paired Katana's. Then he was on them, a whirling dance of blades, poking and slashing. He scored dozens of hits, but watched as only small wounds appeared on the bodies of the three Legionnaires. His hits just weren't penetrating their armored hides.  
  
"These things just keep getting tougher and tougher," he said.  
  
Then the thing with the tendrils grabbed his legs from behind, and he fell. The other Legionnaires blurred before him, as it spun him, and threw him across the city. He slammed into a small hill, making a sizable dent.  
  
Shakily he got to his feet, still gripping his Katana's.  
  
"Well this isn't going well," he said.  
  
The Legionnaire with the tendrils moved forward, while the other two stayed back. Evidently they were going to wait to see if this once could finish him first. So much the better. He knew he stood a better chance one on one than three against one. He braced himself for the attack.  
  
The creature was on him in a flash, energy tendrils flashing, and Shinji was thrown back by the initial flurry. Shinji's hands moved equally fast, blades dancing in and out, weaving a complex pattern to defend himself from the attacks. His head and shoulders constantly in motion, he bobbed and weaved back and forth, avoiding the attacks of the Legion.  
  
Shinji felt he was losing his momentum, if he stayed on the defensive, the creature would eventually get a shot in, crippling him. He had to try something else. He shifted his foot back, and when the next attack came, he leapt into the air and flipped backwards, gaining some small breathing space from the creature. It was a short respite.  
  
The creature waded in again, tendrils leading the way. One of them closed around his arm, and he felt the armor burn beneath its' touch. Desperately he slashed high and low with his blades. The Low blade bit into the things torso, splashing green ichor across the two of them, and the ground. The High blade bit into the Legions shoulder, above the source of the right tendril.  
  
The creature howled in pain, and the tendril released Shinji's arm. Shinji stepped up the pace of his attacks and stabbed both blades at the creatures belly, knowing that the perverted S2 Unit had to be there. A tendril snapped up and blocked the way, deflecting the blades. One of them pieced the creatures side, but the other was thrown out wide.  
  
Shinji tried to retract both blades quickly, but too late, the thing saw it's opening and struck. The energy tendril snapped forward, and pierced him, punching through his AT field and his armor, tearing at his flesh. A searing cold began to spread from the wound, and Shinji could feel the tip of the tendril snaking under his skin, reaching for his S2 Unit.  
  
Shinji brought his blades up, cutting from desperate, impossible angles. Although unable to sever the tendril, he forced it out of his body. It tore through his abdomen, taking a large portion of his armor with it. The exposed and torn flesh cried out in agony.  
  
Shinji worked through the pain, pushing the thing back. Every time it tried to launch an attack, the tendrils were met by slashing blades. Shinji launched a series of daring attacks, slashing and stabbing in tandem. The tips of his blades penetrated the creatures outer armor, flicking bits of the creatures armor away, and causing ichor to well up in the wounds.  
  
Suddenly the creature launched both tendrils in low at Shinji's abdomen, and Shinji swept the tendrils away and down, having to use both blades to push them aside. He threw his weight onto his left foot, and launched spinning kick with his right. The blow connected with the Legions head and the thing was knocked off its feet, tumbling away from him.  
  
He rushed in, blades flashing, but the thing was back up on it's feet too fast. Now smashed and bleeding from numerous wounds, it was beginning to slow. Shinji felt that this was his time. He increased the speed of his attacks, and added in the occasional kick and punch keeping the thing off guard. More ichor spilled from the thing as he attacked.  
  
He watched the creature as it continued to defend itself, and even launch the occasional attack. Suddenly it's left tendril snapped out straight, attempting another attack on his abdomen. Shinji saw his opening, and slipped his blade up the tendril, maneuvering so that it met the things shoulder right where the tendril came out.  
  
The blade bit, and then slipped free. And the things shoulder was lying on the ground, dripping ichor. The tendril went limp, and flopped loosely on the ground, still attached to the shoulder. It no longer glowed with the eldritch energy, but was listless and gray.  
  
The thing howled in agony.  
  
Shinji grinned, and let out a soft growl that would have terrified any human within hearing range.  
  
His foot lashed out, and caught the thing under the chin, lifting it up off the ground. It crashed to the ground, sprawled out, and bleeding. Shinji stepped forward, pinning the remaining tendril to the ground with his foot, and glared down at the creature. He brought the pieces of the Lance-blades together, and they reformed into the Lance of Longinus.  
  
The creature howled up at him. He glared down at it balefully, and lifted the Lance high for the strike. He could see the things S2 Unit glowing dully through a hole in its right chest.  
  
"Tell your master, you failed," he said, and thrust the Lance home. It pierced the creatures S2 Unit, and the creature arched its' back in pain, as ichor and eldritch energy arched from its body in great founts. The light became too intense to look at, and Shinji shielded his eyes with his hand. There was a soft explosion, and the creature blew itself across the hillside, bits and pieces landing everywhere.  
  
He turned to face the last two creatures.  
  
"Who's next?"  
  
As one they charged him, finger blades glowing. He braced himself and leaped. Straight up over their heads, but he hadn't counted on them being so fast. Before he could touch the ground on the other side though, one of them had spun and grabbed his ankle as he went by. It jerked him around by the leg, and slammed him into the ground. Using him like some sort of lump in a sack, it continued to batter him into the unyielding surface.  
  
His head was spinning, and he was hurting too much to think straight. Damn, this thing was strong. He felt a pop, and knew that his left shoulder had just been dislocated. His left hand dropped limply to the ground, releasing the Lance of Longinus from the grasp of his now nerveless fingers.  
  
Suddenly there was a blur, and the thing holding his leg dropped it.  
  
"Shinji, get up. Are you alright?" Kensuke asked, his blue Cherubim leaning over Shinji's EVA and helping him to his feet.  
  
"I've been better," Shinji replied.  
  
He looked around. Evidently Ritsuko and Misato had managed to get the Birthing Chambers hatch open, and the two Cherubs had come to his rescue. No, not the Cherubs; his FRIENDS had come to his rescue. They were both armed with the blades that he and Ritsuko had designed; basically an EVA sized Katana, and a long bladed staff, called a Naginata.  
  
"Don't you think you'd better fix that?" Kensuke said in a mildly sarcastic voice.  
  
"Um, right," Shinji said, and concentrated his AT field on his ruined shoulder. There was a flash, and the ruined joint repaired itself. Shinji flexed his hand, and accepted a hand up from Kensuke  
  
Shinji glanced between his friends, imagining that this was how a father felt at the birth of his first child, and discovered he'd been blessed with twins.  
  
"Okay guys, lets hand these things their asses," Shinji said. Toji and Kensuke drew their swords, and took up ready positions on either side of Shinji. The Legionnaires were unafraid, and unimpressed, however. They had roamed the Earth since the dawn of time, destroying and defiling everything they came into contact with. They had never known fear. The two of them simply stood there, smiling, and then, suddenly, they were a blur, diving in and around Shinji and his friends, striking here and there at will, cutting and slashing as they went. Shinji watched, helpless, as Kensuke expertly blocked one attack with his Katana, but then was bowled over by the sheer strength of the blow.  
  
It took several seconds of furious effort on the NERV defenders part, but they were soon on the offensive, surrounding their prey, and the Legionnaires had been driven together, back to back. They began to lash out with their claw tipped arms, turning slightly as each arm struck, so that within a few moments they had completely reversed positions, and the one that had been on Shinji's right was now on his left. Shinji, Kensuke and Toji took turns striking the things, rarely scoring a hit, and never doing much damage. Even concentrated attacks hitting their S2 Units directly did only minor damage that was instantly repaired.  
  
Shinji watched the attacks, trying to formulate some way to beat these things, but realizing that they were making little headway. Then he saw it. Toji hit the first one's S2 Unit at the same time Kensuke hit the second one's S2 Unit. And the things were visibly shaken.  
  
'Asuka. Image training,' the thought flashed through his mind.  
  
"Simultaneous two point attack, targeting the S2 Unit. Prepare to strike on my mark. Three... Two... One... STRIKE!" he shouted.  
  
All three friends moved, Shinji, using his reformed twin Katana's to distract the four arms closest to him, while Toji and Kensuke stabbed, driving through the opening for the S2 Units. Kensuke and Toji's blades went clear though the S2 Unit's of their targets and into the body of the creature standing behind the other.  
  
There was a shimmering glow, and the two creatures raised their heads and howled in unison. They slumped over and collapsed, as the Cherubs withdrew their weapons. Shinji walked forward, and struck each of the throbbing S2 Units, and they shattered, going dark, and taking the last of the Legionnaires life with them.  
  
"We won?" Toji said.  
  
"We won. We won. We won." Kensuke said, chanting happily.  
  
Shinji stood there, smiling inwardly at his two friends. Kensuke had been granted his greatest dream, and Toji had faced his demons and conquered them.  
  
"Well not exactly how I had planned to spend this first day, but a better beginning than I'd dared hope. Come on, lets get back to the base. I have a feeling Misato's going to have a party waiting for us."  
  
Next on Episode 2:18 of Neon Genesis Evangelion Asuka has adapted well to her life on the Russian Steppes, but something is troubling her. Sophia spends time trying to help her friend work through some of the issues she's hiding from. But Asuka is finally driven to leave her friend behind, and begin her journey again.  
  
It's Evangelion Episode 2:18 Perchance to dream. 


	18. Episode 2:18

Disclaimer: Neon Genesis Evangelion is Owned by Gainax. Buy the DVD's of the Series and the Movies from them. I did, and it was worth every dime. I don't own anything except my DVD's, and this is done for my own satisfaction.  
  
Episode 2:18 Perchance to dream.  
  
Takes place after 1st season, and the End of Evangelion Movie.  
  
Presumed date is June 6th, 2018  
  
Shinji's body lay there in the bog, as Asuka ran up to it. He was broken and bleeding, but there was still a glimmer of light in his eyes.  
  
"Asuka?" he asked weakly, spitting up blood.  
  
"Oh Shinji, what have I done," she wailed, bending to comfort him.  
  
"It's okay, Asuka, you were upset, and you're allowed to run people over when you're upset," Shinji said.  
  
"How can you say that. You're dying, and it's all my fault."  
  
"Yes, yes it is, but you're Asuka Langley Soryu, and you're allowed to hurt people," he said, growing weaker.  
  
"No. No. I may be smarter than some people, but that doesn't give me the right to be mean, and cruel, and hurtful. Least of all to someone who loves me," she cried, shaking her head.  
  
"So, let it go. Don't be mean, and cruel, and hurtful; be the Asuka that I know you can be. The Asuka I love," he coughed, spit up a froth of blood, and his head rolled to the side.  
  
"Shinji, no. NO! SHINJI!"  
  
'Asuka?' came an echo from somewhere.  
  
Asuka didn't respond, instead she sat there rocking back and forth, holding the young boys body. He was fifteen and looked so innocent. So innocent and so dead.  
  
'Asuka,' this time the echo seemed to be growing impatient.  
  
"What?" she snapped.  
  
'Snap out of it. I'm okay,' came the echo.  
  
"Leave me alone. Just go away," she snapped.  
  
'I can't Asuka, I've been trying to reach you for months.'  
  
She looked up from Shinji's body, but didn't see anyone nearby.  
  
"Am I imagining this?" she asked herself.  
  
'No, I'm real,' came the echo.  
  
"Where are you? I can't see you," she said.  
  
'I'm in the park overlooking Nagoya-2,' came the echo.  
  
"Okay," she said, and the scene around her shifted, and she was standing alone on the top of the hill overlooking the city and the JSDF Airbase. The sun was just going down, and she was wearing the red dress from Misato's wedding.  
  
'Beautiful,' said the voice.  
  
"Yes it is," she nodded, admiring the view.  
  
'I meant you. I wanted to tell you here, but I didn't have the courage. It was the perfect moment, but I was too afraid of loosing you.'  
  
"What do you mean? Hey, who are you really, and why I can't see you?"  
  
'I don't know, I can see you, though, maybe it's because I choose to accept that I'll see you here.'  
  
"So who am I supposed to see?" Asuka asked, an idea coming to her.  
  
'The only person in the world who loves you for the woman you are, not the woman you pretend to be, or the child they see you as, but you.'  
  
"SHINJI!" Asuka cried, sitting up in bed.  
  
She was in a cold sweat as usual following that dream, but this time it had been different, something else was happening that had never happened before. There was someone else there, talking to her.  
  
"Langley, are you alright?" came Sophia's groggy but concerned voice from the other side of the darkened room.  
  
"Yeah, Sophia, I'm fine, just a nightmare. Go back to sleep."  
  
Sophia raised her head and looked at her clock.  
  
"Actually, it's time to get up and milk the cows, the alarm is about to go off."  
  
"Okay, lets get up then," Asuka said, getting up and pulling her pants and shirt on. She tied her soft hide boots up, and stood, stretching. Sophia was also a quick riser, and within moments the two girls were heading down the stairs, and back to the Garage that they used as a barn for the milk cows.  
  
Grabbing a couple clean gallon jugs as they walked into the building, they each sat down next to a different cow, and began the morning milking. They milked in companionable silence for a while, until Asuka noticed that the back of Sophia's neck was visible through her hair.  
  
Asuka grinned evilly, and turned the udder, squeezing it so that squirted milk across the intervening space, and splashed onto Sophia.  
  
"Hey," the other girl shouted, releasing her grip, and turning to face Asuka.  
  
Asuka laughed. "What? I didn't do anything, it was all the cows idea," she said.  
  
"Not hardly, that cow's not that good a shot," Sophia laughed.  
  
"Well I'm done, lets get back to the kitchen."  
  
"Alright, race you there," Sophia said, pushing Asuka out of the way, and running ahead. As the last one out of the Garage, it was Asuka's responsibility to stop and lock the door.  
  
"I win," she heard Sophia shout as she reached the kitchen door.  
  
"Oh, that was a fair race," Asuka laughed.  
  
The girl stood by the door, holding it open for Asuka, shutting it when she finally entered.  
  
"Brr. It's cold, better get the fire lit," Sophia said, and she turned to light the fire in the wood burning stove, while Asuka put the milk into a large glass pitcher in the icebox. They both warmed themselves next to the stove, then, as the fire caught, and began warming the stove and the kitchen.  
  
"So, pancakes, eggs, and hashbrowns today?" Sophia asked.  
  
"Sounds good," Asuka answered.  
  
After they'd warmed up a little more, they turned and began preparing the morning breakfast for the residents of Omsk. Asuka worked quietly as she grated the potatoes. Sophia turned and looked at her friend with a puzzled expression.  
  
"Langley? What is it, what's wrong?"  
  
"Hmm? Oh nothing."  
  
"Come on Langley, you've become too good a friend for me to believe that. What is it."  
  
"I had a weird dream just before I woke up."  
  
"That bad one you don't like talking about?" Sophia asked.  
  
"Yes, except..."  
  
"Except?"  
  
"Except it was different, it ended... oddly," Asuka said.  
  
"Mmm," Sophia mumbled.  
  
"I think it has something to do with today's date," Asuka hinted.  
  
"What does the date have to do with anything?" Sophia asked.  
  
"Today is June 6th," Asuka said.  
  
"So?"  
  
"Well, the dream is about this boy I know, and... and how he died," she managed to get out.  
  
"Oh, Langley, I'm sorry, that nightmare that keeps repeating is about a boy who's dead?"  
  
"Yes," Asuka said softly.  
  
"Can I ask how he died?" Sophia asked.  
  
"He was killed in an accident, I saw it happening, but couldn't do anything to stop it."  
  
"And the dream?"  
  
"The dream is a replay of that accident. Except," Asuka began, and stopped.  
  
"Yes, except?"  
  
"Except today it didn't end like it normally does. Instead when the dream ended, I was on a hill top watching a sunset."  
  
"And?"  
  
"And he was there talking to me. And somehow it felt, I don't know. It felt real."  
  
"And did it make you sad?" Sophia asked.  
  
Asuka thought for a long while. "No. I was happy to hear his voice, it was just shocking," she answered.  
  
"That sounds like a nice dream."  
  
"Certainly nicer than it normally is," Asuka agreed.  
  
"Well let's get the potatoes in the oven, and get the pancakes started. The others will start coming down any minute, and if we don't have breakfast ready soon, they're going to start grumbling."  
  
The two girls laughed at this, and went back to work. Their day was full of cooking and cleaning, and gathering supplies for the next days meals. When they finished their work, they went out on the steppes, for a ride on their horses. When they returned, Asuka went upstairs for a nap before they started the evenings entertainment, and Sophia sought out her father.  
  
"Papa," Sophia called softly.  
  
"Ah, my Sophia, what can I do for you this evening?" he asked.  
  
"It's Langley, Papa. I'm worried about her. I think it's time you spoke with her," Sophia said, coming around to the front of her fathers desk, and sitting on the edge.  
  
"Oh you do, do you, and what brought this on?"  
  
"She had a nightmare, THE nightmare, again, but she said it was different this time. And when she woke up she was screaming his name."  
  
"This, Shinji?" he asked.  
  
"Yeah, that's what she said. She was screaming it in her sleep, just before she woke up."  
  
"Well maybe it is time I talked to her," he said.  
  
"Thank you Papa," Sophia said.  
  
"Anything for my lovely daughter," he said, "Where is she now?"  
  
"She's went upstairs to bed," she said.  
  
"Well when she gets up, tomorrow have her come to me."  
  
Asuka stood in the park on top of the hill overlooking Nagoya-2. She was wearing a red satin dress, and had a single rose in her hands.  
  
She looked out over the city she had known so well, and whispered his name.  
  
"Shinji?"  
  
"Asuka?" the voice was stronger now, and lacked many of the undertones that she identified with her dream created personas.  
  
"Shinji," she said, firmer this time.  
  
Beside her, on the picnic table, the air shimmered. From the ether, Shinji Ikari appeared, sitting there confidently, looking around. Asuka gasped, and his head snapped toward her.  
  
"Asuka? Can you see me?" he asked.  
  
"I think so. You look different though," she said, stepping toward him, trembling slightly.  
  
"I've grown up, Asuka. Today was my 17th Birthday. I'm not the only one who's grown up, either. You look great," he said, flashing her a smile that was devastating.  
  
She felt her knees begin to shake. Shinji saw her shaking and reached out to take her by the hand. He guided her to the bench, and sat her down.  
  
"Shinji how can this be happening. I saw you die."  
  
"It's okay Asuka, really. Yes, I did die, but I came back. Haven't you noticed anything strange since we came back. Injuries healing faster than they should, that kind of thing."  
  
Asuka shook her head, no.  
  
"Well, it's like this. Somehow during instrumentality our souls were merged with the portion of our mothers souls that were trapped in the EVA's. We now have our own AT fields, just like the EVA's had."  
  
"So you came back to life?"  
  
"Yes, and then almost died again, but you saved me."  
  
"I did? Shinji how did I save you?" she asked skeptically.  
  
"I was fighting for my life, against a Legionnaire, and as I was dying, I called your name, and you answered. Don't you remember?"  
  
"No."  
  
"Don't you remember talking to me, I told you about being in my EVA, and a big bear monster was killing me, ripping my head off."  
  
"That wasn't just a dream?" Asuka asked.  
  
"No Asuka, that wasn't a dream." Shinji said.  
  
"But how is this possible?"  
  
"The Angels, the REAL Angels, told me that we shared a bond. I took a chance, and have been trying to communicate with you ever since you left. But I haven't been able to contact you until now."  
  
She reached up and stroked his cheek.  
  
"I didn't kill you?"  
  
"No Asuka, I'm fine, really," he grinned down at her, "I've missed you."  
  
She flung herself off the bench, and wrapped herself around him, clutching him fiercely.  
  
"I missed you too," she sobbed.  
  
He let her cry for a minute.  
  
"Asuka, listen to me, I don't know how much time we have. Where are you?"  
  
"Somewhere in Russia, a city named Omsk."  
  
"Okay, look, you need to get to Germany. I've had a vision that there's something there, something terrible, and something important too. I don't know what it is, but you have to get there. I know this is asking a lot, but please do it. Do it for me."  
  
She nodded. "I'll do it Shinji. I'll go to Germany. Will you... will you be there?"  
  
"No I can't, I have to stay here and protect Japan."  
  
"From what?"  
  
"The Legionnaires, or the Legions of the Fallen, as the Angels named them. Satan's Army. They've been unleashed upon the Earth, and the Cherubim aren't strong enough yet to hold them off by themselves. Besides, I'm their primary target, and if they can get rid of me, it all falls apart. They need me here."  
  
"Okay Shinji, I'll go to Germany, but what am I supposed to do there?"  
  
"I don't know exactly, I just know it's important that you get there."  
  
"Alright."  
  
"Asuka?" he asked, holding her hands.  
  
"Yes?"  
  
"Did you find what you were looking for?"  
  
"I think maybe I did. I know I finally realized something though."  
  
"What is that?" he asked.  
  
"As long as I have you, I'll never be alone again."  
  
"I love you Asuka. And I want you to know, I'll wait for you. When you're ready, I want you to come back to me."  
  
She hugged Shinji to her.  
  
"Shinji, I..."  
  
"Asuka wake up, wake up Asuka, are you going to sleep all morning?" Sophia was shaking her awake.  
  
"What, Sophia, what the... Oh, no, you woke me up. Just when I was about to say it," Asuka said, disappointed.  
  
"Say it, say what?"  
  
"Nothing."  
  
"Anyhow, now that you're awake, Papa said he'd like to talk to you in his office."  
  
"What about breakfast and the cows?" Asuka asked.  
  
"I already took care of them. Well, Ivan helped," the girl said, blushing.  
  
"Oh, so that's how it is," Asuka said slyly.  
  
"Oh you," and Sophia hit Asuka with her pillow. Both girls screeched, and the fight was on. Fifteen minutes later they were lying on their beds, and breathing hard.  
  
"That was fun," Asuka said, "but I think I 'd better see your father. I need to speak with him anyway."  
  
"Langley, my dear girl, come in, come in," boomed Piotr Akedi.  
  
"Hello Piotr. Sophia said you wanted to speak to me," Asuka said.  
  
"Yes my dear, please, sit," he said motioning her to a chair.  
  
Asuka sat down and crossed her hands in front of her, placing them on her knee.  
  
"Now, my dear, Sophia tells me you've been having disturbing dreams. Tell me, what troubles you," he said, sounding concerned.  
  
Asuka hardly knew where to begin.  
  
"Piotr, I'm afraid I'm going to have to leave."  
  
"But why? You seemed so happy here, and now you say you must leave? The young men will be devastated," he said.  
  
Asuka laughed, "Oh, I'm sure they will, but I'm afraid they will have to accept the disappointment. I came here on the first part of a long journey, and now it is time for me to resume that journey."  
  
"You seek to return to your homeland?" he asked.  
  
"Yes."  
  
"And to this boy, that Sophia says you speak of in your dreams?" he prodded.  
  
Asuka blushed, "Piotr."  
  
"Come child, you are not the only one who has lost someone in this world. But are you sure that's he's there still?" he asked.  
  
"He's not in Germany, he's in Japan," Asuka said.  
  
"Then why are you going to Germany?" he asked, confused.  
  
"I can't explain it, Piotr, but he needs me to go to Germany, so I'm going to Germany," she said, shaking her head.  
  
"And then?" he asked.  
  
"And then I'm going to go back to Japan," she said.  
  
"Ah. I see. Sophia will be heartbroken most of all, but if it must be, it is best it were done quickly."  
  
"Yes, I thought so too. I don't want to drag this out. If I might gather some supplies, and a rifle, I can be off tonight," Asuka said.  
  
"Tomorrow morning will be soon enough, I think. That will give you time to gather what you need and for us to say goodbye to you properly."  
  
"Thank you, Piotr," she said, going over and hugging him.  
  
"Ah, you will always be like a daughter to me, Langley," he said, holding her tight.  
  
So the day passed, and word got out that Asuka would be leaving the next day. Liebchen was readied, and Asuka gathered up the supplies she thought she'd need most, and got a map showing her the best routes around the Ural Mountains to the south. Sophia was miserable. Asuka was the only girl in town her age, and had been like a sister to her since her arrival.  
  
A fitful night's sleep found Asuka awake and ready to depart early, but Sophia insisted that she wait until after breakfast, so Asuka waited, and dined with the village, saying her last goodbyes, and then it was time to go.  
  
She mounted up on Liebchen, took her pack from Piotr, and looked westward out of town.  
  
"But why do you have to go?" Sophia was crying now.  
  
"Hush, child do not make this any harder than it is," Piotr said.  
  
"I'm sorry, Sophia, it's something I have to do. You've been so kind to me, you've let me forget all my worries, and be the person I always wanted to be. For that I thank you."  
  
"But why Langley?" Sophia cried.  
  
"Sophia, do you remember Third Impact, when we were all united within Instrumentality?"  
  
"Yes," she sniffed.  
  
"Do you remember the two giant beings that fought to stop it?"  
  
"You refer to the EVA's, yes I remember them, they were so brave, and their pilots suffered so much."  
  
"My name isn't Langley, Sophia, it's Asuka Langley Soryu, and I was the pilot of Unit-02."  
  
"You. You were the pilot of the Red EVA?" she said, drying her tears.  
  
"Yes."  
  
"And the Shinji you dream of. He is THE Shinji Ikari, the one who stopped Instrumentality, and saved us all?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"But what difference does any of that make now?" she said, working herself up again.  
  
"He needs me, Sophia. I thought he was dead, but now I know he isn't, and I know he needs me. Can you understand?" Asuka said, her eyes misting up too.  
  
"But why must you go? Why must you leave us?" Sophia cried.  
  
"Because I love him," she said, smiling, the tears beginning to fall, "and I have to tell him that to his face. I never had a chance to. He told me, and then I thought I'd killed him, so I ran away, but he survived and he's forgiven me. No mater what I have to do to get back to him, I will do it."  
  
Sophia was crying hard again, but this time she was smiling.  
  
"Then I will not hold you any longer Lang... Asuka. Go with god, and when you meet your Shinji again, tell him what you need to," Sophia said, and, then she turned and ran into the Hotel.  
  
"Goodbye Piotr," Asuka said, her voice heavy with emotion.  
  
"Goodbye my child. If you can, come back someday with you're young man. He sounds like someone I'd like to meet."  
  
"I will Piotr. I will. Goodbye," she said, and spurred Liebchen out of town, and towards the west, and Germany.  
  
Next on Episode 2:19 of Neon Genesis Evangelion Shinji and the members of his Cherubim force are called upon to confront a new evil, but this one is all too familiar to the Pilot of EVA Unit-01. In a battle in the darkness Shinji will be offered a choice, surrender and death, or victory and banishment. Will Shinji accept the choices given him, or will he come up with another option?  
  
It's Evangelion Episode 2:19 The beast in the sea of shadow 


	19. Episode 2:19

Disclaimer: Neon Genesis Evangelion is Owned by Gainax. Buy the DVD's of the Series and the Movies from them. I did, and it was worth every dime. I don't own anything except my DVD's, and this is done for my own satisfaction.  
  
Episode 2:19 The beast in the sea of shadow  
  
Takes place after 1st season, and the End of Evangelion Movie.  
  
Presumed date is August 30th, 2018  
  
"Status Misato," Shinji said, as he hurtled upward, out of the base.  
  
"Ten minutes ago a single Legionnaire appeared in Kyoto, Large, non- humaniod, but bipedal. It's covered in what looks like overlapping plates of metal armor, here's the visual," she said, sending it to him.  
  
He saw it, there, all hunched over, looking very mean and nasty. If the building gave any indication of size, it was about twice his height, and maybe out massed him by six or eight times. It had nasty metallic wings, and carried a sword in one hand, and a rod in the other.  
  
"Nasty looking customer. What's he doing now?"  
  
"He's just standing there in the middle of the city," she said.  
  
"Okay, we'll go ahead and take a look. C1 and C2, follow me. C3 and C4, stay here in case this is some sort of diversion."  
  
"Roger," the Cherubs all answered.  
  
He began to run to the southwest, Toji and Kensuke following him close, and they were soon coming into the Kyoto region. As they crested a rise, overlooking the city, Shinji saw the thing in the flesh. It's pictures did not do it justice.  
  
"Okay, guys, spread out, let's approach this thing with caution. I've never had one of them just stand there before."  
  
"Roger," Kensuke and Toji said, spreading out.  
  
'Iiikaaarrriii," came a whisper in the back of his mind. Shinji wasn't sure he'd heard anything, but it was repeated.  
  
'Iiikaaarrriii.'  
  
"Hold up guys," he said, raising a hand.  
  
'I'm Ikari,' he thought, focusing his concentration on the creature.  
  
'Welcome, Iiikaaarrriii, I have been expecting you," came the voice.  
  
'And who are you, that you know my name?'  
  
'All of the Legion know you. You are legendary among us. No single being has ever slain so many of us, and you have done so in only a portion of your short mortal life.'  
  
'Thank, you. You don't mind if I add another one to my list, and return home do you?'  
  
'I have come to offer you single combat Iiikaaarrriii, will you accept?'  
  
'You want to fight me one on one?'  
  
'Yeesssssss,' it hissed at him.  
  
'Why should I accept?'  
  
'My allies stand off the coast of your city. At my word they will awaken and attack. You can not hope to defeat me, and save your city as well. Make your choice Iiikaaarrriii.'  
  
"Kensuke, Toji, go back to Nagoya-2. This thing says there's a couple of his buddies offshore. Get the others ready, and tell Misato to bond the next 4 Cherubs NOW. We can't afford to wait until next week."  
  
"Shinji, are you sure?" Kensuke asked, concern in his voice.  
  
"DO IT!" Shinji shouted, in his command voice.  
  
Kensuke and Toji, immediately turned and ran back towards the NERV base at Nagoya-2.  
  
'Okay, they're gone.'  
  
'Do you accept the challenge?' it whispered in its harsh voice deep in his mind.  
  
'Yes, damn you, I accept.'  
  
'Eeeeexcelleeennnt,' it rasped.  
  
It raised the staff, and banged it into the ground three times. There was a small ball of black and white lines circling within the three points at the top of the staff. Shinji thought there was something familiar about it, but couldn't quiet place it. It was so weird; he knew he should recognize it.  
  
Then he watched as the creatures shadow began to grow, and to grow, and to grow. Shinji watched as the shadow flashed out, and passed beneath his feet. Then it hit him, he knew where he'd see this effect before, and that strange black and white sphere. This looked like the shadow cast by the Angel that had swallowed him within itself, and kept him prisoner for more than a day, trapped on minimal life support.  
  
'You have met my brother?' the thought insinuated itself into his awareness.  
  
'And I handed him his ass,' he growled back.  
  
'Ah. But he always deluded himself into believing that the darkness could consume all. I, on the other hand, believe that the darkness needs an ally,' it whispered back before falling into the darkness.  
  
Suddenly he was falling, falling into an inky blackness, totally disoriented. He started to panic, remembering the last time this had happened, how lost he'd been. Instead he calmed himself, growing confident that he'd find a way out of here. He landed with a crash, and lay there for a moment, disoriented. He could see nothing, but he could hear the sound of breathing, and a soft, menacing chuckle. Wherever he was, he wasn't alone.  
  
He gripped the Lance tightly and stood up, trying to pinpoint the source of the sound. Even his enhanced senses could detect nothing. No energy, no light, no aura, nothing.  
  
There was a loud whooshing sound behind him, and, before he could turn, something hit him, knocking him to his knees, and there was a stinging pain in his left shoulder. He examined it. He'd been stabbed by something. He hadn't even sensed it's approach in the darkness.  
  
'What's wrong Iiikaaarrriii? Are you injured? Are you afraid? Tell me. Where is the great warrior who has defeated so many of my Brothers?' the voice whispered.  
  
'Come on out. He's here waiting for you,' Shinji replied.  
  
A soft laugh echoed in the darkness from all around him, and then faded away, leaving him alone in the dark.  
  
Something smacked into the back of his knees, and he was knocked from his feet, landing flat on his back. He could hear the whistling of an oncoming blow, and rolled away from it, hoping he rolled the correct way. A crashing sound echoed through the dark as something connected with the ground or floor or whatever he was standing on.  
  
'Not bad, but not good enough,' it whispered again.  
  
He stood up, and readied himself again, waiting for the next attack. He felt the displacement of air behind him, and dove forward, rolling and coming back up to his feet. He could perceive a blade of dark energy flashing through the space where he'd just been standing, vanishing again into the darkness.  
  
'Very good, young Iiikaaarrriii. Even though you could not see where I was, you sensed my attack. It seems you are not as helpless as I first believed. How delightful,' came the whispered thought.  
  
Shinji brought the Lance up in a defensive posture, and tried to sense something, anything. There was nothing. Or was there. Something was there, moving softly. He listened more carefully, and heard it. A soft shuffling to his left. Not much, but enough to identify where his attacker was. He hesitated, not wanting to give away the fact that he knew where the thing was. The shuffling stopped, and he carefully readied himself, taking care to make no noise, lest he give himself away. Then there came the softest of sounds.  
  
Shinji twisted, and swung the Lance out in a double handed strike, and it connected with something in the blackness. The pressure on the Lance vanished, as the thing withdrew.  
  
'You surprise me Iiikaaarrriii. Never have I had a foe sense my approach. Most impressive. When the Morning Star reigns in Heaven this battle will be spoken of with awe, and I shall delight in telling my brethren of your skill and defeat at my hands,' said the voice.  
  
'Only one of us dies here, Demon, and it's not me. I beat this darkness once, and I will do it again.'  
  
'Do you really think you can stand against me Iiikaaarrriii?'  
  
'I know I can,' he thought back fiercely, and stepped to his right, spinning the Lance, and stabbing in the dark. He felt the Lance being parried by the dark blade, and knew he'd finally won. This place made his eyes useless, but if he paid attention to his AT field, it would guide him. Where the creature moved, his AT field strengthened, instinctively shielding him from its' evil. All he had to do was attack in the direction his AT field indicated, and this thing would soon be dead.  
  
"There!" he shouted, and struck. He hit something, and saw a dark blade sweep up to brush the Lance aside.  
  
The darkness roared back at him, in anger and frustration.  
  
He felt a pressure on his AT field from above and to his right, and waited. The pressure grew and grew, until it was overwhelming, he ducked and rolled, coming up as the flashing blade swung through the space he had occupied, and he thought he saw the hint of a great metallic wing. He struck out with the lance, and felt it bite.  
  
Hideous red ichor splattered to the ground beneath his strike, and the creature vanished again into the heights of the darkness.  
  
'IKARI!' it wasn't hissing his name or whispering now. 'You will pay for striking me. NEVER before has any being hurt me within this place. And never again.' The voice was upset, now, no longer calm and collected.  
  
He waited, trying to relax, even as he strained his senses for a clue as to the direction of the next attack. A few long tense moments passed, and then, not knowing entirely what he was doing, began to parry with the staff. Blow after blow deflected off of it, as he was driven back.  
  
'You will not strike me again,' it hissed, and laughter echoed out of the dark before him.  
  
"Oh I'll do more than strike you," Shinji said, and lashed out.  
  
The Lance pierced the darkness, and struck something solid. Whatever it was, screamed in agony, and tried to pull itself off the Lance's tip. Shinji pushed forward, keeping the pressure up.  
  
'Now we end this,' he thought, and lanced out with a long sweeping kick. He was rewarded by the feeling of his foot connecting with something, and the Lance nearly jerked out of his hand, as the creature fell to the ground. Instantly he was towering over it, both hands on the Lance, preparing for the killing blow.  
  
'No. No Shinji Ikari, you cannot kill me, for if I die, you will be lost here forever,' it begged.  
  
"I think NOT!" he shouted into the darkness, and struck, the Lance pulling out, and then stabbing back down, burying itself within the unseen flesh of the creature. Shinji concentrated. He had no way of knowing where the S2 Unit of the enemy was, so he did the next best thing. He told the Lance to alter it's shape, and send for dozens of points radiating from its tip.  
  
Two of these points blasted out from the tip as ordered, and struck the S2 Unit, shattering it in the dark. The creature died, howling in agony, but at last it was still on the end of the Lance. Shinji withdrew the Lance with a jerk, and returned it to its' true form.  
  
He was still there. Still swallowed by the darkness.  
  
He gathered his strength, and focused his will upon his AT field. Soon he was able to see it glow in the darkness before him, as it pulsed. He wielded it like a beacon, now, lighting the dark around him, pushing back the dark. He tried to sense a way out, but could only sense a never ending darkness.  
  
Wait. There. In the distance above him. He could sense... something. Nothing he could define easily, but possibly a way out. But how to get there. Maybe he could concentrate his AT field into something that would push him out of here. Kind of like a giant trampoline, that he could use to hurl himself up out of the darkness.  
  
He closed his eyes, and he concentrated. Something was happening, he could feel it. There was a warmth spreading through his body, and he could sense the energy building.  
  
'Wow, this is really a lot of power, but I've got to gather more. I need more energy. I must focus everything I have down to a single point within me, and then tap into that,' he thought.  
  
Misato watched the screens. Shinji and the creature had vanished into that dark shadow, just like he had with that Angel back when he was 14, living in Tokyo-3. She couldn't believe that such a thing could happen twice, but she knew that Shinji had defeated the darkness once, and trusted that he could do so again. She saw movement and gasped.  
  
The disk was shrinking. Quickly it was half the size it had been, and growing smaller by the second.  
  
"Does anyone else see that?" Maya asked, pointing.  
  
There in the heart of the darkness, a strange purple glow was coming from two thin points within the exact center of the circle. The purple grew, and became two finger like extensions. They were rising out of the darkness.  
  
"It's Shinji, it has to be," Misato said, hoping she was right.  
  
"The shadows closing to fast, he's not going to make it," Maya sounded panicked.  
  
The shadow was indeed contracting rapidly, but when it reached the purple light it shook, trying to overcome their force. The light surged, and there were two more points of purple light coming through to assist the first. Now four finger like energy tendrils were pushing at the edge of the shadow, and it was slowly expanding, shaking as it did so. The Shadow suddenly flashed open, and there was a bright flash of near white light, and then both the light and the shadow were gone.  
  
"Shinji!" Misato exclaimed.  
  
"I'M FREE!" came an exultant shout.  
  
"Shinji is that you? Where are you?" She cried.  
  
"You wouldn't believe me if I told you," he said.  
  
"After what we've all been thorough, I don't think that disbelief is something any of us will ever suffer from again. Now where are you?"  
  
"Were you using the Surveillance Satellite to watch the battle?"  
  
"Of course. Not that we saw anything once the two of you vanished into the shadow."  
  
"Pull back your focus until you can see most of Honshs."  
  
Misato motioned to Maya, who instantly told the Surveillance Satellite in orbit over Japan to pull back.  
  
"Where should we be looking?"  
  
"Look towards Mount Fuji. You'll see me."  
  
Maya brought the appropriate image up on her screen, and began to scan the area, looking for the EVA. There was an odd purple glow moving rapidly in a circle around the volcano.  
  
"Shinji what..." Misato began, not quite believing what she was seeing.  
  
"Can you see me?"  
  
"I think so. But are those..." the words died on her lips.  
  
"I have wings Misato. I can fly," he stated simply.  
  
Misato looked. Shinji did indeed have wings. Multiple wings. At least four, possibly six or more, she couldn't be sure, they were beating very fast. She seemed to recall from Instrumentality that Shinji had risen up out of the remains of NERV on nearly a dozen orange wings. But those wings were terrible, in their appearance and power. These wings were soft and elegant, glowing with an ethereal light that matched his EVA.  
  
"Shinji, they're beautiful," Maya breathed, and Misato agreed with her.  
  
"Shinji, return to base, the Legionnaire is finished, And Suzuhara and Aida report no sign of the other's that this one mentioned. You need to rest."  
  
"Alright Misato. I'll come home. Be there soon," he replied, and on the screen the EVA banked, and turned west, coming home.  
  
Next on Episode 2:20 of Neon Genesis Evangelion Asuka arrives in Germany, and discovers that NERV Berlin is the beacon for mankind in the European Theatre. But Shinji's warning is fresh in her mind, as she settles into life here. She'll discover the proof that Shinji is alive, and battling the forces of the Morning Star, but all she can do is watch his desperate struggles, as he faces wave after wave of Legionnaire attack.  
  
It's Evangelion Episode 2:20 A home that never was. 


	20. Episode 2:20

Disclaimer: Neon Genesis Evangelion is Owned by Gainax. Buy the DVD's of the Series and the Movies from them. I did, and it was worth every dime. I don't own anything except my DVD's, and this is done for my own satisfaction.

Episode 2:20 A home that never was.

Takes place after 1st season, and the End of Evangelion Movie.

Presumed date is January, 11th, 2019

Asuka sat in the back of the Humvee, as it transported her from Strausburg to NERV Berlin. The patrol had come upon her and Liebchen as they were trotting down the road earlier that morning. They were dressed in NERV security uniforms, and driving a NERV issued Humvee. It was almost a pleasure to hear her native tongue after so many years, of Japanese and Russian.

Now, as they approached Berlin from the East, she could see the large structures that marked the NERV base. She was home. More or less. After all of these years of wishing to be here, now she didn't know how she felt. This was where she'd grown up, but it didn't feel like home. That was reserved for Omsk, or Japan.

These men hadn't even recognized her, despite that this was her home base. She'd always thought that she was the most important person here, but then, that was before she'd gone to Japan. It was odd to think that this part of the world didn't revolve around Asuka Langley Soryu anymore, and yet, she felt it was no great loss.

The Asuka who had been raised here as an Elite Pilot, and the Second Child, was gone. The woman who stood in her place, bore little resemblance to the spoiled and petulant child that had left here so many years ago.

Asuka watched as they pulled through the base entrance and headed for the underground structure that was NERV Berlin. Like most NERV bases, this base was built underground, and the base above it provided support for the facilities. They parked the Humvee and she was escorted through a thorough security screening by the two guards who had picked her up. Inside the scanner, the microwave detector found her small implanted identity chip, in the back of her left wrist, and called up the information on the screen.

The commotion around her and outside the room reached a fever pitch, as many cries of "Incredible," "Astounding," and "At Last," were heard. The two guards escorting her glanced at the computer screen that was confirming her identity, and immediately snapped to attention.

"Pilot Soryu. We apologize for the callous way in which you were treated," the first guard said.

Asuka thought that this was more like it. At last some proper respect. The two guards, no longer half carrying her through the base, instead followed behind her, as one indicated where she should go.

"The base commander will want to see you immediately, please, turn right down the next corridor. Yes, that's it, the last office on the left, if you would please Ma'am."

"I haven't been gone so long that I've forgotten where everything is. Provided you haven't moved too much."

"No Ma'am, the base is much as we found it. We have cleaned up the facility, of course, but the rooms still serve the same purpose that they did in your day."

"Wunderbar," (wonderful) Asuka grinned.

They finally approached a door labeled 'Director Of Operations,' and entered through it, passing through a waiting room, and into the inner door, She came before a desk she'd stood before many times. This was the office of NERV Commander, Berlin, but the man sitting behind the desk was not someone she recognized.

"Ah, Miss Soryu, I was informed that you'd arrived. I must say, that we here in Berlin are thankful to have word of you. We were afraid that we were never going to re-establish contact with Japan," the man sitting behind the command desk said.

"And you would be?" Asuka asked.

"Oh, forgive me, where are my manners. I am Commander Adolfus Rotmal, and I am at your service."

"What happened to the old commander," she asked, even though she was sure of his answer.

"Never came back. I'm the only member of the original NERV staff here in Berlin to return. As such, when we began to awaken, I was placed in charge of the base, and am now Commander of NERV Berlin."

"I don't recognize you," she said.

"No, you probably wouldn't. I was a minor officer with NERV before Third Impact, and not someone who was important enough to associate with the Second Child."

Asuka nodded, and tried to look haughty, but was feeling distinctly uncomfortable. Something about this man was not right, and the hairs on her arms and the back of her neck were all standing on end.

"Anyway, as I as saying, we've been waiting for someone to contact us from Nagoya-2, but we never expected they would send you," he finished.

Asuka, blinked. Something about that wasn't right. Then she had it.

"Wait, how do you know that Japan is reforming around Nagoya-2?" she asked.

"Surveillance Satellites. In orbit. Surely you know of them?"

"Well, of course, but in Japan we're only able to access a few satellites. We'd assumed the others were destroyed or disabled somehow," she said.

"No, not at all. They are all working quite well. Well, except for one or two that impacted with Lilith as she rose up from the Earth. Those are still up there, but aren't working properly," he said.

"But how?" Asuka asked.

"The Magi system. We have a 2 mega-byte data encryption system in the Magi system. All of the newest Surveillance Satellites and Military Communications Satellites were designed to work exclusively with the Magi systems, so they have the same level of encryption. The Shepherd computer that you have in Nagoya-2 is obsolete, and was only supposed to be used as a backup server for Tokyo-3. Shepherd doesn't have the proper software or hardware in place to run the 2 meg encryption, and, thus, can only access the older satellites. That's why we haven't been able to contact you before now."

"Oh," said Asuka, nodding sagely.

"Still, after no answer came to the seven emissaries we sent out, we assumed that they'd never arrived."

"As far as I know, they never did," Asuka said.

"Then you aren't here in response to our emissaries arrival in Japan?" he asked.

"No, I came on my own, to settle some personal business," she answered.

"Ah. Well, I'm sorry to hear that, but I'm grateful that at least we have at last had word from Japan."

Asuka nodded, not quite ready to tell him that she'd left Japan almost two and a half years ago, and, except for some very real dreams, she hadn't had any contact with the people there.

"Yes," she nodded, "and it is good to find the Berlin base in such capable hands. I see that your people are well disciplined, and efficient. It is good to know that Japan is not the only place to come together after the Awakening."

"Yes, well we did have our problems. For the first few months as we began to Awaken, we were pretty disorganized, but I tried to get people to follow along with me, and re-activate the base here. Some of them seemed content to simply live off the remains of what was here, but we have striven to unify the people under my leadership. It was not difficult, but even the most ardently independent people came to follow me. Eventually," he said with a grin, and Asuka felt decidedly uncomfortable, despite his reassuring manner.

"So. Now that you are here, we can prepare some dispatches for you to take back to NERV in Japan, to see what we can do to coordinate our efforts, and then we will do our best to see you on your way when the time comes for you to leave," he said.

"Certainly, if you wouldn't mind though, I'd like something to drink. I've been riding on horseback for months to get here, and this morning was an especially hard ride," she said.

"Oh, but where are my manners. Of course you are tired, from your long journey, I will have a lieutenant assigned to escort you through the base." He buzzed his outer office. "Please have an escort arranged for Pilot Soryu," he said releasing the button.

A moment later, a young man, in lieutenants uniform, came in and saluted.

"You are to escort Pilot Soryu around the base, and see to her every need," he said.

"Yes sir," the young man said.

Asuka stood up, "First, I think something to eat and drink. Then a bath, and a bed."

"At once, ma'am. Please follow me," he said, and escorted her out off the office.

The commander reclined back in his leather chair and steepled his hands before him. So none of the emissaries had made it to Japan, but still the girl had come here. 'For what purpose?' he wondered. He'd have to keep a close eye on Soryu, that was certain. It wouldn't do for her to disrupt all his careful planning.

In the Cafeteria, Asuka sat down with a large tray full of food. Certainly more than she'd eaten since leaving Omsk, and Sophia's kitchen, and began to eat. Part way through the meal, she noticed several large plasma screens stuck to the walls, showing surveillance footage from all over the planet. Every few seconds the view would switch, and a new scene would be displayed, with the location displayed in large bold text in the lower right corner of the screen.

After about ten minutes, the view showed a darkened cityscape, and a few lights glowing dimly, outlining the streets. The Caption read "NERV Nagoya-2, Local time 9:15 pm"

"So, you really have been able to see what's been happening in Japan?" she said.

"Oh yes," he nodded, "We activated the surveillance systems almost as soon as we had power running to the entire base. We watched everything, from the recovery flights that were sent out, to the most recent Angel attacks."

'Angel attacks. What? Shinji didn't say anything about… no wait. He said that there was a new threat. Without communications, these people wouldn't know that they were any different from the Angels they'd seen attack us before,' she thought quickly, trying to keep her face from betraying her initial surprise.

"Tell, me Ma'am, what's it like. Fighting an Angel I mean."

"Terrifying. They're unlike anything we can imagine, and yet somehow, very familiar."

"We've archived all the battles, for future reference, but we've taken to viewing the older battles at night, as a form of entertainment. We've even burned several DVD's of the battles, so that we can watch them in our down time."

"I'd like to see some of them if I may," she said.

"But surely, it's more exciting to be there, than to simply watch them on screen?" he said.

"Certainly, but we used to use the surveillance data to do image training after each battle, seeing what we could have done differently. I haven't been able to see any of our most recent battles," she explained.

"Of course, I'll see that a set is made available for you this evening. All done?" he asked, noticing that she had finished her meal.

Asuka nodded. The young man policed her plate, and then came back, waiting for her lead.

They spent several hours touring the base, while he showed her how they were surviving in this Post Third Impact world. They had set things much as she and Shinji had in Japan, gathering people and supplies, until they had established a viable community.

"When did the Commander Awaken?" she asked conversationally.

"Oh, he was the first of us to Awake, and as others Awoke on the beaches, he got us organized, and kept us from reverting to barbarism."

"Who did he awaken with?" she asked, more out of habit than anything else.

"Why, no one. He woke on the beach alone, a day or two after Third Impact."

That got Asuka's attention. She and Shinji had been the first to awaken in Japan, and it had been more than a week before anyone else had awakened. She had never heard of anyone Awakening by themselves. There was always someone else nearby. If he hadn't woken alone, where was the person who had awakened with him? And if he had Awoken alone, why was he the only one that she'd ever heard of who'd done so? Very curious.

The tour winding down, the Lieutenant brought her to the quarters that had been assigned to her, a suite of rooms inside the underground facility, that would function as her private apartment. Even by civilian standards the room was well appointed; the walls were covered in rich tapestries and material.

There was also a large television here, and a DVD player. A stack of DVD cases waited beside the player, and had a note reading 'Pilot Soryu: Japan / Angel and EVA surveillance footage. Post 3I.'

She bid the lieutenant good evening, and, as soon as he left, walked over to the television, selected the first DVD, simply labeled "Angels: 2016", put it into the DVD Player, and closed the tray. She flopped down in a large overstuffed recliner, and hit 'Play All' when the main menu appeared.

The screen came up, and immediately began to play. The date stamp on the lower corner of the window indicated that it was June 12, 2016. The day after she'd left Japan. There was a wide view, as if merely a surveillance overview of the entire base, and then a bright object, no two, flashed into the screen, and the flare nearly blinded the view. A few moments later, the view zoomed in to focus on a hospital. The base Hospital, in Nagoya-2. There in the parking lot kneeled Shinji's EVA, and what could only be the Lance of Longinus, impaled into the ground next to it.

She watched as a naked Shinji ran out of the hospital and beneath the EVA. Then the EVA was moving, taking the Lance, and motioning about something. Too bad there wasn't any accompanying audio, or this would have been even better. She wondered what had been being said. The scene shifted, and the time stamp showed that it was a few minutes later, and some sort of animal was charging into the base. It looked like it had had its skin ripped off of it, an was oozing a nasty fluid from it's body. She saw it knock the EVA to the ground and begin to savage it. For minutes it savaged the EVA, ripping great bloody chunks out of it, out of HIM she realized, recalling why this battle seemed familiar. This had been the battle where Shinji had nearly died, and had first contacted her mentally.

Then he was up, the injuries healing themselves, and the thing was dead, head cut off by the Lance transformed. The scene ended with him crushing the skull and destroying the S2 Unit.

'Oh Shinji,' she thought to the ether, 'I'm sorry I ever doubted you. I'm even more sorry I left. I wish I could be there for you now.' She sniffed, and her eyes began to water.

A new date appeared on the lower screen, about three months after the first one, and she watched another battle unfold. This time Shinji appeared more confident in his battle with the creature, that resembled a large crystal or jewel. She was reminded immediately of the Angel that had drilled it's way into NERV, before being destroyed by the team of Unit 00 and Unit 01. Rei Ayanami had nearly been killed in that battle, shielding Shinji from the things attack.

This time, though, there was no-one to shield Shinji from attacks, and he didn't have a positron cannon using the entire Japanese power grid as an energy source. She watched as his EVA burned under the huge beam of fire that this thing unleashed. The armor flaked off, and the skin beneath crackled, but the EVA pressed forward, and finally, she could see the flare of conflicting AT fields. The EVA drew back the Lance of Longinus and pierced the thing in a single blow, blasting through it's tough hide.

Watching the third, and last fight on the DVD, she saw that this one was dated for December 22nd, 2016. Asuka watched as Shinji fought off something that had emerged out of the crater left by Lilith's egg. There was a VTOL dangerously close by, but the footage didn't reveal what it was doing there, it was too focused on the fight between Shinji and the thing.

Then the VTOL flew clear, and Shinji and the thing began to trade serious blows. She had a start, as the thing pinned him to the ground, and looked like it was about to finish him, but Shinji managed to wrest a victory from the jaws of defeat, and stood overlooking the things body, before beginning to walk and then run back to Nagoya-2.

The disk concluded, and returned to the main menu, so she ejected the disk, and checked the notes written on the inside of the case. Apparently there was a new creature appearing every two and a half to three months. She glanced at the stack of DVD's sitting next to the player.

'Shinji, my dear Shinji, what have you been going through, while I've been in hiding?' she asked herself.

For some reason, though, he needed her to be here, so she'd do this. But as soon as she could, she was going to return to Japan. She needed to see him again. She needed to be sure he was alright. And she needed to know more about these new Angels, these Legionnaire's.

Asuka grabbed the next DVD from the stack; this one labeled "Angels:2017." She repeated the steps she'd taken before and was soon watching this second chronicle of Shinji's battles in Japan.

She watched the first battle as Shinji faced twinned opponents, and won with a last minute burst of energy. Shinji's battles were growing more desperate, and several times he was facing more than a single opponent at a time. Late into the night, she watched Shinji's lonely battles, against the Legionnaire's, until March of 2018, when there were suddenly two more EVA's at Shinji's side.

She couldn't identify something that was bothering her until she'd seen it often enough that it had become readily apparent. Something about the way his EVA was moving, the way it was fighting. By the end of the last disk, she had it figured out; this was more than Synchronization. Then she remembered something Shinji had said in her dreams. He WAS the EVA. Certainly the EVA was moving faster, and with greater range of movement than she'd ever seen before. It had also picked up some stunning new moves, and she didn't doubt that Shinji was spending some serious time training between fights.

She began to think over some of what she'd learned here today. She'd definitely needed to gather some more information before she could do whatever it was Shinji needed her to do. She wasn't sure what she was looking for, but she knew it was out there. She just had to find it.

She readied herself for bed, and crawled beneath the large plush covers, snuggling them up, as she slept in the first bed she'd been in since leaving Omsk.

'And then you're all mine, Shinji Ikari,' she thought sleepily.

Within his office several floor above her room, Commander Rotmal sat, watching the surveillance footage of Asuka's sleeping body.

The Second Child had not come as an Emissary of the Japanese NERV branch, he was now certain of it. But if not here to establish contact, why was she here? He'd keep a close eye on this Asuka Langley Soryu. A very close eye.

Next on Episode 2:21 of Neon Genesis Evangelion A loss of one of their own devastates the Cherubim Pilots, but no one is taking it harder than Shinji Ikari. Leader of the elite force, he suffers as no one else does, and the secret relationship between himself and the deceased young woman is exposed. In his vulnerable state, something will happen that will send Shinji into a state of deep depression.

It's Evangelion Episode 2:21 When the lights fade, and darkness comes at last.


	21. Episode 2:21

Disclaimer: Neon Genesis Evangelion is Owned by Gainax. Buy the DVD's of the Series and the Movies from them. I did, and it was worth every dime. I don't own anything except my DVD's, and this is done for my own satisfaction.  
  
Episode 2:21 When the lights fade, and darkness comes at last.  
  
Takes place after 1st season, and the End of Evangelion Movie.  
  
Presumed date is April 19th, 2019  
  
Shinji stood there, looking down at the shattered white and gold Cherubim. It's S2 Organ had been crushed, and it's body broken.  
  
"Shinji," came Misato's soft voice over the comm. "Shinji, there was nothing you could do for her. Those things isolated her and crushed her between their AT fields. She didn't have a chance."  
  
"Misato, I... I should have been there for her. She died alone, and its' all my fault. I could have saved her but I let them distract me. And while I was busy, they isolated her and killed her. This was only her second combat mission; I should have been watching out for her."  
  
"Shinji," Toji said, walking up in his Black Cherubim armor, and placing a hand on Shinji's shoulder, "Shinji, you did everything you could. You saved the rest of us. Come on, lets go back to the base, and get out of these things."  
  
Shinji's large purple and green EVA simply nodded. He hesitated a moment, and then bent over to pick up the shattered Cherubim. Cradling it to him like a father carrying his child, he carried the Cherubim's body back to the elevator, and returned to the buried Cherub hangar.  
  
Misato walked into the hangar where the Cherubim normally waited between actions. Shinji's EVA stood there, leaning against the wall, arms crossed over his chest, gripping his shoulders in his hands.  
  
"Toji, how long has he been like this?" Misato asked the Pilot, who was standing in the center of the hangar, looking toward the EVA with concern.  
  
"More than an hour. After we came back from the battle, he laid Kim's Cherubim Armor down, and leaned up against the wall. He's been there ever since."  
  
Misato turned to look at the shattered white and gold armor, laid out carefully in the center of the large room.  
  
"Ritsuko says that with the S2 Unit shattered, there's no way to retrieve her. She's really dead," Misato said.  
  
"Any ideas, how we get him out of there?"  
  
"He'll come out when he's ready," Misato said, shrugging.  
  
The EVA turned to look at them, and then crouched down, kneeling at the end of the room, and before the feet of the Cherubim as if to pray.  
  
Shinji Ikari appeared in a glowing light at the foot of the EVA.  
  
Misato and Koji walked up to him, and Misato put her arms around him, hugging him fiercely. It felt almost like hugging a piece of lumber, he was so stiff. She laid her head against his chest, as she clutched at him.  
  
"It's okay Shinji, it's okay," she repeated.  
  
"Misato," he said, pushing her back gently, "please, don't. It's not okay. I don't know if it ever will be okay again. I failed, and as much as I might want to slip back into old habits and run away, I can't. Today showed me that I can never give up these constant battles. Without me fighting at their side, the Cherubim will eventually be defeated, and this whole thing will have been for nothing. Now if you'll excuse me, I need to take a shower."  
  
Shinji turned and walked into the Male Pilots Locker Room, shoulders slumped, looking beaten. Toji looked at Misato, before scratching his head, shrugging, and following his friend and commander into the room.  
  
Shinji paid little attention to the other pilots who were still here, and didn't even notice as Toji walked in behind him. He stripped and walked into the shower, turning the water on as hot as he could stand it, and submerged himself.  
  
Toji glanced at Kensuke and the other Pilots, and the two friends motioned that the others should go. They sat down, and started playing cards, waiting for Shinji to finish his shower.  
  
"This is the worst I've seen him in a long time," Kensuke observed.  
  
"Yeah," agreed Toji, "He's acting like the old Shinji."  
  
"You saw what happened, it wasn't his fault, he did everything he could, but they were just too fast."  
  
Shinji spent a long time in the shower, before finally getting out, and changing into his street clothes. He looked like a man who'd lost his way.  
  
"Shinji, buddy, why don't you let me drive you home alright?" said Toji.  
  
Shinji simply nodded, and waited for Toji to lead the way.  
  
They arrived at Shinji's house about twenty minutes later, and Toji had to walk around and open the door to let Shinji out. Shinji got out of the car, and walked into the house, Toji watched him go upstairs, and enter his room, closing the door behind him.  
  
"I'll take care of him Toji," Kensuke said, walking up behind him. Kensuke had ridden his bike home ahead of them, and had been sitting on the couch when Toji and Shinji came in.  
  
Toji turned and looked a Kensuke, and then heard Hikari and Nazomi come in the back door. Kensuke held a finger up to his lips and motioned for them to have a seat at the table. He walked into the kitchen and returned with a pot of tea and cups for them all.  
  
"We heard about the battle. It was all over the radio. Kim's dead?" Hikari asked.  
  
"Yeah. Shinji's not taking it well." Kensuke said.  
  
"She's the first Cherubim to be killed in battle, I think we're all taking it hard," Hikari said.  
  
"But not like Shinji. I mean, I know he's the unit commander, and he's technically responsible for all of you, but it's combat, people get hurt, and sometimes they get killed," Nazomi said, rubbing Kensuke's shoulder in sympathy.  
  
"I don't get it, though, you'd have thought she was his girlfriend, the way he went berserk when she died. You saw what he did Toji; it was over in seconds," Kensuke said.  
  
"We only got a report that the attack had been repelled, and Kim Keller's Cherubim was destroyed. What happened?" Hikari asked.  
  
Toji ran his fingers through is hair, and looked at his wife. "Well, it started out like any other battle. We got the alert, and headed out. As soon as we broke the surface, we headed for the engagement zone. Things went from bad to worse pretty quick."  
  
"There were four of them waiting for us. Shinji flew on ahead, trying to distract them, while we got into position," Kensuke said.  
  
"We'd closed on them pretty fast, and held back while Shinji took them on. It was incredible Hikari, you should have seen it. These big black and purple things looked almost like an EVA, only more massive. They had these built in particle cannons on their sides, and some kind of energy blade coming out of their hands. But that wasn't the worst of it. They had these monstrously powerful AT fields. You could see them sparking in the atmosphere."  
  
"Shinji dropped down in the middle of them and started to tear them apart, between the Lance and his AT field he was hacking and slashing these things like no tomorrow. But every time one of them went down, the other three would up the pace of their attacks, and give the fourth the time it needed to recover, and then it was up again."  
  
"We decided to move in, to give Shinji a hand with these things, when it happened. Kim was out on the end of the line, and all of a sudden there were two more of them. They just exploded up out of the sand, and she was caught in between them. They opened fire on her."  
  
"She screamed for help, but we couldn't do anything, their AT fields were too strong for us to get close to them. Shinji was using his field to neutralize the AT fields of the other four, but these two were too far away. While we were trying to get closer to them, they started moving together, still firing away at us and at Kim."  
  
"We all saw the fields flare as they pressed in on her. She was screaming now, and we were trying to attack, but we kept bouncing off. We called for Shinji to come and help us, but he was too occupied with the other four to break away."  
  
"She let out one final scream, and then it happened. Her S2 Unit imploded under the pressure, and she just sort of slumped over. Well we all just stood there stunned. And then Shinji let out this... this... Roar."  
  
"He went berserk. It was just like those times he and Misato told us about back when he first joined NERV. Except it was SHINJI going Berserk, not the EVA. The first four Legionnaires were hacked to pieces within seconds, and he lept over us, and landed there, next to Kim, and destroyed the last two units with a single slice of the Lance. It was scary to watch. He fell to his knees, and shook Kim's shoulders, and started begging her to wake up."  
  
"But she was gone. We finally got him to leave her be, and then he stood up, and looked to the west. He just stood there for ten minutes looking out over the lake towards the Sea of Japan."  
  
"West?" Hikari asked. "I'd bet he was looking towards Germany not the Sea."  
  
"I hadn't thought about that," Toji said, nodding.  
  
"So anyhow, we finally got him back to the base, and out of the EVA. After we got him to take a shower, we got him dressed and came back here. He was in no shape to drive."  
  
"I just don't understand it, though," Kensuke was saying, "We're combat pilots, we all know the risks."  
  
"But Shinji's your Commander, and he feels that we're all his responsibility," Hikari said.  
  
"That, and he liked Kim," Nazomi said, and the room went silent.  
  
"What?" Toji said, shocked, and trying to keep his voice down.  
  
"It's not like that Toji," Hikari said, shaking her head, "You wouldn't understand. You're a guy."  
  
"Obviously. I'd appreciate it if you could explain it to me though," he said.  
  
"It's like this Toji. We all know that Shinji is sure that Asuka is out there somewhere and that she's going to come back to him. And he's been saying for months now that it's going to be sometime soon. You've seen it on his face, and how he acts, he can't wait for her to come back."  
  
"Yeah, so what does his hang up with Asuka have to do with how he felt about Kim?"  
  
"Well it's like this. Except for a very few of us here, mostly his close friends, most people don't understand that Shinji is 'taken.' He's totally off the market, head over heals in love with Asuka. There is no one else for him, and there never will be. I've actually worried about what would happen to him if Asuka were to die."  
  
"Anyhow, I guess you haven't noticed the amount of female attention Shinji attracts when we go out to any of the official functions?"  
  
"Yeah, the guys a chick magnet, you've got to beat them off with a bat," Kensuke said.  
  
"Exactly. But have you noticed a change lately?"  
  
"Well, no. Honestly though, I hadn't paid much attention, I've been a little distracted." Kensuke said, holding Nazomi's hand.  
  
"Well, lately word had leaked out amongst the women on the base that Shinji was REALLY off limits. There was a rumor going around that he was seeing someone. That someone was Kim."  
  
"Whoa. Wait a minute. I thought he was hung up on Asuka, now you're telling me he was dating Kim on the sly?" Toji asked.  
  
"No, but that's what they were letting everyone else think. The truth was, they were just good friends, who liked to dance together. She never asked anything of him, like all the other women trying to get close to him. She understood how he felt about Asuka, and was happy to just be his dance partner. They'd go to dances together as protection more than anything. That way they could cover each others back. And as long as he was with her, no one would bother him."  
  
"Okay, so now you're saying he wasn't dating Kim, but they were still going out."  
  
"Yeah. Look, you have to understand, that if I guy like Shinji is sitting around pining his life away, every available woman within a 5 mile radius is going to be drawn to him like a bear to honey. As long as it looked like he was actually with someone, though, he would be left in peace. Kim didn't want anything from him, except to be his friend. He told me on several occasions that she'd met a young man in America the year before Third Impact, and was hoping to return there some day to see if he'd returned."  
  
"This way, though, they could both still attend Pilot functions and make it out in one piece, unmolested," Nazomi finished for her sister.  
  
"Okay, so let me see if I've got this all right. Kim and Shinji were pretending to date," Kensuke ticked off the point on his hand, lifting one finger.  
  
"Correct," Nazomi nodded.  
  
"They were just friends," another finger.  
  
"Good friends."  
  
"They only danced together, nothing physical or romantic," a third finger.  
  
"Correct."  
  
"But every woman on the base thought they were, so that made Shinji off limits," a fourth.  
  
"Correct."  
  
"And Shinji is still just as hung up on Asuka as he's always been," the thumb.  
  
"Still."  
  
"And every woman on the base now thinks that Shinji's single again," Kensuke finished, holding up the index finger on his left hand.  
  
"You've got it all," Nazomi said.  
  
"God I need a bottle of Sake," Toji said.  
  
"Hey, save that until tomorrow," Hikari chided.  
  
"Yeah, Misato announced on the radio that there's going to be a public ceremony honoring Kim's death at the parade grounds."  
  
"Oh No!" Toji said, burying his face in his hands.  
  
"It's okay Toji, I'll be there for you," Hikari said, comforting her husband.  
  
"It's not that. It's just that that means I'm going to have to wear my White Dress Uniform for the ceremony," Toji groaned.  
  
The other three just glared at the morose young man.  
  
The next morning dawned calm and clear, and the Suzuhara and Ikari/Aida households were up early, preparing for the memorial service. Shinji was up, but wasn't talking. He put on his white dress uniform, and went downstairs to get some coffee. Still drinking his cup, he dialed the shuttle bus office and requested a pickup. Before any of them realized it, Shinji was gone.  
  
"I guess he went to the base," Kensuke told Toji when he demanded to know where Shinji was.  
  
They all puttered around the houses, not thinking about what was going on at the base, until it was time to leave. They hopped in Toji's 4Runner, and drove over to the parade grounds. The stadium was already filling up with people, and there were several chairs spaced out on the field before a large podium. Behind the podium was Kim's shattered Cherubim, flanked by an honor guard of six others.  
  
Toji spied Shinji sitting in the front row aisle seat that was labeled as 'Reserved for CO Cherubim Force.' He guided the others down to their seats and sat there waiting for the ceremony to begin. It really was a beautiful ceremony, Misato and Dr. Akagi both spoke, and Professor Fuyutsuki even said a few words. Then, after a prayer, it was over.  
  
"There will be a brief interment ceremony inside the base for Cherubim Pilots and Guests only. Thank you," Misato said, and the crowd waited while the six Cherubim walked forward, and lifted their fallen comrade between them, and carried her into the base, for the last time.  
  
Once below ground, they traveled deep into the depths of the base, until they came to the Cherubim Chamber, the place where Dr. Akagi and Shinji had overseen the birth of the giant warriors. At the back of the chamber was a passageway that Toji had never seen before. He asked Doctor Akagi about it.  
  
"No, Toji, it wasn't here. Shinji came in here this morning with the EVA, and did his AT field trick, punching a hole in the rock."  
  
"Why?"  
  
"So he could make this," she said, pointing to another smaller chamber, off to the side.  
  
Toji looked, and, within it, was Kim's Cherubim, laid out like a sleeping beauty in her glass coffin. It was fitting. This is where the Cherubim had been born, and this would be where it rested for eternity.  
  
"After he left, I figured out what he wanted us to do. I'm going to have Resource management install a giant plug here, and place a memorial plaque upon it."  
  
They all thought that was a good idea, and then grew silent as Misato began a speech to the small group gathered here. There were less than 100 of them now, and they shared many personal memories of better times with their lost friend, and in the end they prayed for her soul, and turned to leave, one by one. As they were about to exit the room, Toji noticed Shinji, lagging behind the others, and waited for him to catch up.  
  
"I'm not going to tell you it's all right Shinji. You already know that. I'm just going to tell you this. As warriors, we all knew the risks when we scrambled yesterday. It could have been any one of us, and there's nothing you could have done, no way you could have known. You did what you could for her, and, if what Hikari told me last night, it sounds like you two did what you could for each other."  
  
Shinji looked shocked, like Toji might not understand the truth, and seemed about to try and explain or apologize again. Toji stopped him.  
  
"She was a good friend, who helped you for while in her own special way. I don't think you have any thing to worry about. Although you are going to have to make sure one of US talks to Asuka when she gets back, or else someone who doesn't know the truth might get her very upset with you."  
  
Shinji koffed, "Um, yeah, I think I'd appreciate that. She might get the wrong impression if someone else said something."  
  
"Sure. Now come on, I hear the Officers Club is going to throw one hell of a Wake, and I'm not going to miss out on all that booze."  
  
Putting an arm around Shinji, he walked out of the room with his friend  
  
The next morning Kensuke Aida was sitting at the table nursing the worst headache of his life. How had Misato lived all those years getting drunk every day and waking up like this.  
  
"Dear god, if it's got to hurt this bad just kill me and get it over with," he murmered.  
  
An explosion and a crash heralded the arrival of Toji Suzuhara.  
  
"Shhhhhh, Not so loud," Kensuke whispered.  
  
"Not so damn loud, Kensuke, I can hear you just fine. No need to shout."  
  
"Men," said Hikari, walking though the door, closing it after her sister was through.  
  
"Where's Mari?" Kensuke asked.  
  
"She's next door watching cartoons. The Petersons said they'd come over to pick her up this morning, so we can have some time alone. I'll meet them over there when they honk."  
  
"They're going to honk," Kensuke said, horrorstruck.  
  
"Anyhow, I'm going to make breakfast for all of you, I think you could all do with something to eat," Hikari said, and bustled into the kitchen.  
  
"Shinji up yet?" Nazomi asked.  
  
"I haven't heard him moaning, so I assume not. I don't even know what time he got home last night, don't even remember getting in myself. I sort of remember a trip on the shuttle bus, but it's all a very painful blur."  
  
"It should be. Nazomi and I took the car home at eleven, and you and Toji got in a little after 3," Hikari chided. "Nazomi could you go check on Shinji and see if he needs anything?"  
  
"Sure thing, be right back."  
  
She walked up the stairs, and soon came back into the kitchen.  
  
"Hikari, Shinji isn't here."  
  
"He isn't, well did he leave a note or something?"  
  
"No. His room, it's too clean. It doesn't look like it's been slept in, and his dress uniform isn't anywhere to be seen."  
  
"He never made it home last night?" Hikari guessed.  
  
"That'd be my bet," Nazomi said.  
  
"Hmm... that's not good. I think we'd better call Misato," Hikari said, grabbing her cell phone and dialing the NERV commander.  
  
"Hello," came the voice on the other end.  
  
"Misato, it's Hikari Suzuhara, Shinji never made it home last night, and I was hoping you could tell us where he is."  
  
"Sorry Hikari, I'm still at home. Toji made up for my sobriety by drinking half the bar under the table last night. When I finally hauled him out of there Shinji and your husband were still there, and they were pounding them down hard."  
  
"Well, Toji made it home by 3, but Kensuke was with him, not Shinji."  
  
"As soon as I get to work, I'll have the guys see if they can track him down with the sensors. We've got every piece of clothing he wears bugged just in case of incidents like this."  
  
"Thanks Misato, I just want to be sure that he's feeling alright. He had a rough day."  
  
Six miles away from the Ikari/Aida house, the subject of the discussion was deciding that he was definitely not okay, and didn't know if he was ever going to be so again. He sat on the edge of a bed, looking down at his clothing, and dreading what he knew must come. He reached out, and pulled his cloths on, stood up, and tried to walk out of the room as quietly as he could.  
  
"Shinji?" the soft voice behind him called.  
  
"Yes," he said, then gritted his teeth.  
  
"Can I call you later?"  
  
"Yeah, Kikyo. I guess. I need to get home and change though. Goodbye," he said, walking out the door, and quickly found his way outside.  
  
He couldn't remember anything after Toji had ordered that last round of Tequila, and based on the fact that all of his clothing, including his boxers, were laying on that floor covered by her bra and panties, he wasn't sure he wanted to remember anything.  
  
He felt sick.  
  
First, he'd let Kim die. Then he wallowed in this pain over that until he had gotten so falling down drunk he'd evidently gone home with Kikyo, Maya Ibuki's night shift substitute at the command center.  
  
'I guess we...' he began, but couldn't complete the thought. His churning stomach and the sick feeling in his soul had nothing to do with the monstrous hangover that was pounding away in his head, demanding attention.  
  
"Shigeru, get me a fix on Ikari's location," Misato said, holding the cell phone to the side of her head as she drove.  
  
"Hang on, I'm activating the system now. Charging, Charging, Signal acquired, Triangulating. Okay, we've got a fix. He's over in the Sea- Cliff Loop neighborhood. Looks like he's walking out towards the main road."  
  
"Okay, Shigeru, I'm on my way there to pick him up, call me if his location changes," Misato said, hanging up her phone.  
  
Sea-Cliff? That's where all the NERV General Staff lived. Misato put down her phone, and grabbed another gear as she came around the corner leading out of the Command Staff Neighborhood. What in the world was Shinji doing in the Sea-Cliff Neighborhood.  
  
"Teri? It's Kikyo, you will never guess who just left."  
  
"Who."  
  
"Shinji Ikari."  
  
"The EVA Pilot? No way."  
  
"Yes way. He was at the Officers club last night, and they were about to call him a shuttle bus when I offered to take him home."  
  
"But you never said to who's home right?"  
  
"Well, no that kind of slipped my mind at the time. Anyhow we get back her, and I brought him into my bedroom and stripped off all his cloths."  
  
"And?"  
  
"I can attest that the rumors are true. And he's also got a body underneath those loose button down shirts he always wears."  
  
Misato pulled up beside Shinji as he walked along the roadway, not even bothering to look up as she approached.  
  
"Hey Shinji," she called at him, and was immediately concerned when the young man looked up at her. He looked horrible. The puffiness in his face and eyes made her think he might have been crying.  
  
"Shinji? Are you alright?"  
  
Shinji's eyes went out of focus, and then locked back on her face. He shook his head no.  
  
"Get in Shinji, I'll take you home," she said, reaching across the seat and unlocking the door. Shinji numbly opened the door and got in.  
  
Misato had a hard time driving Shinji back home, as she kept her concentration split between the road, and her former charge.  
  
"There's Misato now. And look, she's got Shinji with her," Nazomi said, and ran to open the front door. Misato was leading Shinji up the walk, when she heard the door open. Nazomi was about to say something when she saw Misato shake her head. Nazomi stepped out of the way as Misato helped Shinji upstairs, and lay him down on his bed. Taking his dress jacket off, she hung it on the rack behind the door, before pulling a sheet up over him and stroking his hair absently.  
  
Misato walking back down into the living room, and greeted the four friends.  
  
"Misato is Shinji alright? What happened?" they wanted to know.  
  
"I don't know, guys, I found Shinji walking on the side of the road in the Sea-Cliff area. He's pretty upset about something, but he's not talking. I'm going to have Kaji come over to talk to him, and see if he can get him to open up."  
  
"Is there anything we can do?"  
  
"I'd say just keep some food and tea on hand, in case he gets hungry, and be there for him when he needs you. I'll make sure you guys all have leave until Shinji's back up on his feet."  
  
"Thanks Misato."  
  
"Keep an eye on him will you?" Misato asked, waving as she walked out the door.  
  
"Akemi? It's Teri."  
  
"Hey Teri, what're you up to this morning?"  
  
"Not nearly as much as Kikyo was, if what she said is true."  
  
"Oh, and what was Kikyo up to this morning?"  
  
"Taking care of a very attractive and single EVA pilot."  
  
"NO! Ikari? You mean she..."  
  
"Yup, She's going to meet me for coffee later and give me all the details."  
  
"Think she'd mind if I came along?"  
  
"I don't see why not."  
  
"Oh my god, I've got to call Maya. She's going to die when she hears this."  
  
"Okay, see you in an hour?"  
  
"Sure, see you then."  
  
"So I figured if he wouldn't talk to me, he might want to talk to you, man to man."  
  
"Well, I don't know what good I can do, love, but I'll try," Kaji said.  
  
"I think just a friendly shoulder and a firm hand might do more good than anything right now dear," Misato encouraged.  
  
"Okay, I'll see what I can get out of him. But you may want to have Ritsuko standing by with some sedatives or something."  
  
They had stopped in front of Shinji's house now, and Kaji kissed Misato goodbye and mounted the steps. Hikari let him in, and he walked up to Shinji's room, waving to the kids as he walked up the stairs.  
  
"Shinji, it's Kaji, I'm coming in," he said, knocking briefly before opening the door and going in.  
  
Shinji was sitting up on the bed, holding his cello in his lap, and was crying softly. He looked up at Kaji, and Kaji instantly knew that Misato had been right. Whatever was wrong with the young Pilot was something that he would only share with a man who'd suffered as he was suffering now.  
  
'Shinji,' he thought, 'if you could see the look on your face. It looks like my face did the day Misato abandoned me in Germany to take that job offer in Japan.'  
  
Misato sat down at her Command Station, and looked over the reports that were here. She didn't want to be here, she wanted to be near Shinji, so she could comfort him. Kaji would do a good job though, she was sure. He was far more intuitive than she'd given him credit for when they were in college.  
  
Lt. Maya Ibuki came trotting up the stairs from her station down below.  
  
"Ma'am."  
  
"Yes Maya, what is it?"  
  
"Is there a problem with Shinji?"  
  
"Something, yes, we're not sure what happened though. Kaji's trying to talk to him now. I just came here to get some of my paperwork done, and then I'm heading back over there."  
  
"Ma'am I think there's something you should know. One of my girlfriends just called me, and told me a very interesting story."  
  
"Is this a story I'm going to want to hear?"  
  
"Probably not Ma'am, but you'd better know now."  
  
Kaji walked back down the stairs, stunned. It had taken almost 20 minutes for Shinji to say a word, and then he'd started to cry. He'd gripped the neck of his cello so tightly that the strings cut his fingers. He broken the bow over one of the posts on his bed, as he'd begun his story. When he reached the end, he'd taken the cello and busted it into pieces against his desk, slamming it again and again, until it was splinters. Kaji had grabbed him then, and calmed him down.  
  
Shinji had grabbed hold of Kaji like a drowning man going under for the last time, and held him tight while great sobs had wracked his body. Kaji had finally detached the young man, and laid him back down in bed, telling him that Ritsuko would be there in a little while to give him something to relax. Shinji had simply gulped and nodded, laying in the bed very still.  
  
"Kaji, is everything alright, it sounded like a war zone up there."  
  
"Shinji's going to be fine, Toji, but he's going to need some time to think. He's also going to need a lot of support from you guys." Kaji's phone rang, and he answered it.  
  
"Yes?"  
  
"Kaji, Honey, how's Shinji?"  
  
"In shock I think you should tell Ritsuko to get here now, he needs to relax, and I think he needs some sleep. Tell her to bring some anti- depressants too, just in case. I think Shinji needs to deal with this on his own."  
  
"Did he tell you what happened?" Misato asked.  
  
"Yes he told me."  
  
"Well?" came Kensuke and Toji's whispered question, trying not to intrude, but intensely curious about what was hurting their friend so.  
  
"Boys I..."  
  
"Tell them Kaji," Misato said.  
  
"What? Then, you already know?"  
  
"Yes. Evidently the rumor mill is in full swing Lt. Ibuki brought me up to speed about five minutes ago. I called the young woman and confirmed it myself. Aida and Suzuhara need to know if they're going to help him through this."  
  
"I love you, you know?" Kaji said.  
  
"I love you too. Stay there, and I'll bring Ritsuko by in a few minutes. Bye."  
  
"Bye," he said hanging up.  
  
"Well?" Kensuke asked, impatient.  
  
"Last night, after you all came home, one of the girls on the Command Staff took Shinji home with her. He lost his virginity to her, and doesn't even remember it."  
  
Kensuke and Suzuhara at first didn't think that that was such a bad thing, until they saw the looks of concern on Kaji's and the girl's faces. Then it hit them like a ton of bricks.  
  
"Oh god. I can't believe this is happening to Shinji," Kensuke said.  
  
"Yeah," Toji agreed.  
  
Nazomi started to cry on Hikari's shoulder. Hikari looked up at Kaji, "It's Asuka isn't it?"  
  
Kaji nodded.  
  
"Shinji has spent the last four years of his life totally in love with that young woman, and had promised himself that he'd wait for her, in every sense. Now he feels that he's betrayed everything. He says that he knows she's going to be back here soon, but that there's no way he can face her now.  
  
Shinji's five friends sat in his living room, and just looked numbly around at each other or at the floor, not knowing what to say or do. This was definitely not the way they had imagined this day would be for Shinji when it finally came.  
  
His greatest step into manhood had happened, and he had apparently walked off a cliff.  
  
Next on Episode 2:22 of Neon Genesis Evangelion Asuka has spent the last six months in Germany trying to figure out what it is she's supposed to be doing here. She thinks she may have a clue, when she discovers that there have been some changes made to the base that no one is even aware of. Discovering these changes threatens to expose a buried secret, and Asuka may have to pay with her life for even knowing it.  
  
It's Evangelion Episode 2:22 The changing face of Evil.  
  
Authors Notes: This is the first chapter I've ever dedicated to someone, but I feel that I should. I've often heard it said of great writers, that you should write what you know.  
  
I once knew a young woman by the name of Kim Keller. She was bright and funny, and full of life. And at a time in my life when I was devastated by the death of my parents, she was there with her bright smile, and her easygoing attitude.  
  
Although not my girlfriend, she was, nonetheless, a good friend to me, and we spent many nights dancing and laughing with friends. I felt safe with her, and could relax and be myself for the first time in months. She never demanded anything of me, other than that I keep up with her, and hold her tight when a slow song was played.  
  
She helped me to remember that life continues, even in the face of disaster, and that we are, after all, but mortal.  
  
Sadly, barely a year after we'd met, Kim was killed in a horrible car accident with five of her friends. I was one of the first people to view the scene, even before the paramedics had a chance to respond. What I saw there has always bothered me deeply, and I've spent a lot of time thinking about it lately. Hardly a month passes when I don't drive by the site of the accident, where a memorial to the dead has been erected. I never got a chance to thank her before, so I would like to request your indulgence here, as I do so now.  
  
Kim,  
  
You'll never know how much your smile meant to that hurt and crushed young man, the first time you asked me to dance. You helped me to crawl out of that dark pit of despair that I'd fallen into. I'm older now, with 4 boys, a dog, and a wife that I love. But there are times even now, that I wish I could have just one more dance with you.  
  
Goodbye. 


	22. Episode 2:22

Disclaimer: Neon Genesis Evangelion is Owned by Gainax. Buy the DVD's of the Series and the Movies from them. I did, and it was worth every dime. I don't own anything except my DVD's, and this is done for my own satisfaction.  
  
Episode 2: 22 The changing face of Evil.  
  
Takes place after 1st season, and the End of Evangelion Movie.  
  
Presumed date is June 5th, 2019  
  
Asuka sat in the cafeteria, eating a very large plate of sushi, and scowled at the man who was sweeping the floor.  
  
"Pardon me Miss Soryu, can I get you anything else?" the man asked.  
  
"No, I'm quite alright, you may go," she said.  
  
The man nodded and moonwalked out of the room. Asuka didn't think this was odd.  
  
She looked back at her food, and watched as it changed color, and texture until it was a nice big plate of Inari with pickled Ginger, which she attacked with her chopstick shaped fingers.  
  
"Hello," said a little voice behind her.  
  
"Mmm. Eating. Go away."  
  
"Make us," said another little voice.  
  
How impertinent. She spun on her heals, devil horns sprang from her head, and she prepared to breathe fire on the person who wasn't doing as she demanded of them.  
  
A little boy and a little girl stood there holding hands, looking up at her, with oversized eyes, like those of some cute little anime character.  
  
"Hello," they said in unison.  
  
"Kawaii," Asuka screamed in Japanese, and lunged at them.  
  
They didn't resist as she hefted them into her arms, and squeezed both of them. She set them back down and looked at them closely. They were both clad in Kimono, the little boy in a purple one, the little girl in a red one. His hair was black, his eyes light blue, and he wore a perpetual grin. The little girl was even cuter, she had dark blue eyes, that seemed to shift to gray if one looked at them long enough, and bright read hair, but her complexion was not as dark as you'd normally expect of someone with that hair color.  
  
"And what can I do for the two of you?" she asked them both.  
  
"You need to come with us," said the little boy.  
  
"Yeah. We're supposed to show you something," said the little girl.  
  
"And what would that be?" Asuka asked.  
  
"It's a secret," the little girl whispered.  
  
She looked at them both, carefully, before, standing up and taking their hands. "All right, she said, "Lead the way."  
  
The each took her by an arm and led her from the cafeteria. They walked around for quite a while, before finally entering an elevator at the far end of the base. They took it down to the lowest level there was, and, when the door opened, the two children ran out of the lift, laughing and tugging on her arms. She followed them, really wanting to see what game they were playing.  
  
They walked down a long corridor, and she could see the red painted signs on the wall proclaiming this as Sub Level Section E-42. Soon they stood at the end of the corridor, blocked by a white wall, which was also marked with the same logo.  
  
"Where to now?" she asked them.  
  
"We're supposed to show you," the boy said.  
  
"Show me what?"  
  
"Show you that," said the little girl, pointing. She was pointing up at a spot high on the wall.  
  
"Very nice, but am I supposed to be looking at the dirt, or the peeling paint?"  
  
"No silly," said the little boy, "THAT!" He stomped his foot.  
  
"She can't see it," the little girl whispered to him.  
  
"Then why doesn't she say she can't?" he asked.  
  
"Because she doesn't know she can't," she answered him.  
  
"Oh."  
  
"Daddy said we have to show her," the little girl said.  
  
"Okay."  
  
They turned to look at her.  
  
"Ready?" the little girl asked.  
  
"For what?" Asuka said.  
  
"Well, this silly," the boy said, and started to walk through the wall.  
  
Asuka goggled at him. Then the little girl did it too. Asuka stood there as they disappeared into the wall, and she felt herself drawn in behind them. Then she was through, and on the other side the two children were standing on a catwalk, about 20 feet away, still holding her arms.  
  
"Oops," said the little boy, turning and starting to roll up her arms.  
  
Asuka waited until he got back to her before shaking her arms out, returning them to normal.  
  
"Lookee Lookee," the little girl was shouting pointing up ahead of them.  
  
Then Asuka looked and saw what was there.  
  
Two EVA's.  
  
The first one was Dark Green with white highlights. The second one, was a spitting image of Asuka's Unit-02, except for the large pulsing S2 Unit at its heart.  
  
"Wow," said Asuka.  
  
"Daddy said you should have found these a long time ago, so he asked us to come here to make sure you knew where to go," the little boy said, taking the little girls hand, and beginning to walk toward the far end of the catwalk.  
  
"Wait, who are you?" Asuka asked, standing before the two EVA's.  
  
"I'm Rei, and he's Kaoru," the little girl said.  
  
"Hey, that's the names of two other EVA pilots," Asuka said, remembering Rei, and the fifth pilot, who Shinji had once told her about.  
  
"We know, our daddy named us for them, so he could remember," the little boy said.  
  
As they neared the end of the catwalk, a glowing light could be seen coming from the wall. The little girl turned and waved, as the boy urged her forward.  
  
"Goodbye Mommy," she said, as she vanished into the light.  
  
"WAIT!" Asuka shouted, sitting up in her bed. She felt like crying and her heart was throbbing in her chest. The dream. It was just a dream. But it was so vivid. So REAL.  
  
She lay back down in the bed, panting, clutching her chest. The dream was fading now, and she had a hard time remembering some of the details, but others stood out in her mind. The janitor had looked like Gendo Ikari. The children, she wasn't sure about them, they were quickly fading from her mind.  
  
She turned on the light, and grabbed a paper and pencil from her night table. She quickly wrote down some numbers that were stuck in her mind, and tried to remember if there was anything else.  
  
Nothing, the dream was gone. If there was anything else, she had missed her opportunity.  
  
She looked at the clock on the bedside table, it said that it was 6:15 am. She punched the button on top, and disabled the alarm before it could go off, and then flipped a switch, so it would display the date.  
  
June 5th, it said, before she flipped it back to normal clock setting.  
  
'Tomorrow is Shinji's 18th birthday. I wish I could be with him,' she thought.  
  
She got up, showered and changed into the light duty uniform that she'd been given by the supply sergeant. As the Official Japanese Branch Representative she'd been doing very little since her arrival. She'd done a lot of poking and investigating, but had found nothing. She'd been over every square inch of the base, and had found nothing. And, until they figured out a way to communicate with the NERV base in Japan, she was worth... nothing.  
  
But something about that dream had sparked a memory; something that had lain dormant within her mind for nearly a decade. Something she remembered from when she was ten years old, and the dream had tapped into.  
  
She grabbed a couple things off her table, and shoved them into her pockets, not knowing what she'd need.  
  
She was soon out the door, and headed for the elevators. She got into one, and looked at all the buttons. The floor she wanted wasn't on this elevator. She got out, and one by one, checked all the elevators in this area. None of them went to the level she wanted.  
  
She remembered a bank of emergency elevators at the back end of the base, and decided to go check them out. Sure enough, the last elevator in the row had the level she was looking for on it's list of buttons. She stepped in and pressed it, closing the doors, and dropping into the depths of the base.  
  
She emerged into a darkened corridor, that was dimly lit, but she could see a faded paint splash identifying this as Sub Level Section E-42. She turned and walked down the corridor before coming to its end. There the wall stood, blocking her way. It looked like it was part of the original construction, but the paint here was not as faded, and Asuka could see cracks in the mortar joints around the wall.  
  
She pushed on the wall, and felt a slight give. She pushed harder, and a large crack appeared in the center. She backed up, and ran at it at full speed, striking the wall with her shoulder. Her shoulder screamed in agony, but the large cinder blocks that made up the wall caved in. She stood back and kicked at them until the first one caved in. Beyond was only darkness.  
  
She reached into her pocket and extracted a flashlight, turning it on, and stuffing it into the hole. Whatever lay beyond, was not visible. The space was simply too large. She began kicking in earnest, stopping to pull at the occasional block, freeing up a space for her to crawl through. She managed to squeeze through into the space beyond. It was lit by the dull glow of emergency lights, but they were high up and far away, so that only the barest amount of illumination was visible from them. She turned toward the wall knowing what she would see.  
  
Two EVA's stood there waiting. The S2 Unit of both EVA's was pulsing, picking up speed as she neared them. The light given off by the flashes, allowed her to read the marking on the sides of their arms.  
  
The Red one was EVA Production Unit 05. The Green was EVA Production Unit 06.  
  
She sat there and stared at them in awe.  
  
"I knew you'd eventually find them if you stayed here long enough," came a voice from behind her.  
  
Asuka jumped, and turned to the side, drawing her knife as she did so.  
  
"Rotmal," she said, holding him at knifepoint.  
  
"Soryu. You have been nothing but a thorn in my side since the day you arrived here, with your endless questions and constant investigating. Time to pluck that thorn," he said, walking towards her, hands clenching.  
  
"Stay back, Rotmal, I don't want to, but I'll kill you if I have to."  
  
"Only one of us leaves here alive, Soryu, I thought you'd have guessed that by now. This is a secret I cannot allow to escape this tomb. While this base was uninhabited I hid these units from prying eyes, never figuring that someone with intimate knowledge would return to discover my secret," he finished lunging to grab her by her hair.  
  
Asuka jerked her head to the side, out of Rotmal's grip, and slashed at him with her knife. It penetrated his left side, just below his last rib.  
  
He drew back, dabbed his fingers at the wound, and examined the blood.  
  
Then he grinned at her.  
  
The grin scared Asuka more than anything had in years.  
  
He lunged again, and this time Asuka swept his hands to the side, and plunged the knife upwards into his chest cavity, slicing through his lung, and into his heart. He staggered back and fell to the ground, blood spilling onto the ground.  
  
"Bastard," she spat, "I never did like you, you creep. You freaked me out."  
  
She turned and looked back at the EVA's trying to figure out what to do next. This had to be what Shinji had wanted her to find. And those children in her dream had led her here. Remarkable.  
  
She stood there looking at them until she heard a faint buzzing, it was coming from Rotmal's body. She reached over him, and unclipped his cellphone from his belt.  
  
"Yes," she said, answering his phone.  
  
"This is Operations for Commander Rotmal," said the voice.  
  
"Rotmal's in the shower, what do you need?" she said, in as sexy a voice as possible.  
  
"Oh, yes Ma'am. We're picking up an anomalous energy reading on our sensors. 50 kilometers out. High energy readings."  
  
Asuka held the phone away from he face for a moment and swore. She held it back to her face and said sweetly, "He wants to know if you've done a spectral analysis of the waveform."  
  
"Standbye. Pattern is Orange. Angel confirmed Ma'am. Variation from normal stands at 0.999; other wise it's a perfect match."  
  
A Legionnaire, one of those new Angels that Shinji was fighting. Rotmal had to have known this day would come. He had to be in league with them.  
  
"Ma'am, what are his instructions?" the voice asked.  
  
"He says to prepare the base for combat, and clear the surface. If he's not there to take command in 5 minutes, get the sub-Commander to take over for him," she said, and hung up the phone.  
  
She turned back to the red EVA, and watched as the S2 unit pulsed, slowly gaining speed. She could almost feel it somehow reaching out to her, calling her. From within herself she could feel a heat rising, building, until a soft orange glow burst from her, and splashed toward the S2 Unit. When the glow contacted the Unit, she felt a surge of energy, and a slight disorientation.  
  
She stood overlooking the catwalk, and could see Rotmals body clearly. EVA Unit-06 was beside her. Then it hit her. What Shinji had said. He was the EVA.  
  
'Only now, I am the EVA,' she thought.  
  
'Oh, Shinji is this how you felt the first time you joined to your EVA like this? It's incredible."  
  
She raised her hand and clenched the fist. The red armor gleamed within the dull light. She concentrated, and found she could control the optics mode that she used, just by thought, she switched to starlight, and the room became instantly clear. On the other side of the room were several EVA sized auto-cannon rifles, a missile launcher gun, a Progressive knife, a longer hilt that looked like it should also be a Progressive knife, and a thing that looked like an EVA sized mini-gun. There was a long cable leading from it into a plug unit, like that used by the EVA's for power feeds.  
  
'Only if this unit has a fully functional S2 Unit, it doesn't need it, so maybe it plugs into my socket, and gets its power from there,' she thought with a grin.  
  
She reached over the catwalk and grabbed for it. It fit well in her EVA sized hands, and she plugged it into the socket in her back.  
  
"Standby," came a signal from the device. "EVAOS 2014 loading, loading, System operational. Unit TPG-402, ready. Energy Reserves at 100%."  
  
'What is a TPG-402,' Asuka thought.  
  
"Tactical Proton Gatling," came a new signal in response, "Developed for use in Angel combat by NERV Berlin in conjunction with Berlin Partikel Forschung."  
  
'So, NERV and Berlin Particle Research had finished these little toys before Third Impact, but didn't manage to ship them to Japan. Interesting. I wonder if they were holding them in reserve for something they had planned for after the defeat of the last Angel. Maybe a little Nation Building of their own.'  
  
She grabbed the Progressive knife and slid it into it's sheath, and then concentrated on opening a communications channel to the base's Operations Department.  
  
"Operations," came the reply.  
  
"This is Pilot Soryu. What's the status?"  
  
"Pilot Soryu, thank goodness. We can't find the commander, and Sub- Commander Berg has assumed control. The Angel is less than 10 kilometers away. We haven't been able to slow it down. Sub-Commander Berg has authorized the use of our remaining N2 mines. Are you clear of the blast wave?"  
  
"Negative, do not deploy the N2. I think I can handle this on my own, stand by."  
  
Asuka heard the man explaining to his new commander, and heard some angry shouts on the other end before Berg took the phone.  
  
"Soryu, what the hell are you doing, the Angel's going to be here in 30 seconds, I don't have time for foolishness."  
  
"Do you want to blow up Berlin, or let the EVA kill that thing?"  
  
"You have an EVA?" Berg asked, incredulous, "well why the hell didn't you say so. Affirmative Soryu, N2 detonation standing by. Holding at 15 seconds. Is there anything we can do?"  
  
"Roger, call up the launch protocols on the Magi, and initiate an EVA launch on Catapult number seven."  
  
She didn't have to wait long. When they figured out what to do, and engaged the system, the EVA leapt out of it's cradle, and headed toward the surface, and the first combat Asuka had seen since the Mass Production Angels had ripped her apart.  
  
Below her, in the EVA hangar, something stirred.  
  
Asuka vaulted to the surface, and as she was slammed to a stop the door opened on the hidden exit she was within, and she stepped out into the dawn light of a new day.  
  
The thing was close, barely a kilometer from her, and looked ready for a fight. Standing there like some sort of parody of man and machine in one, tubes and wires snaking out across its' dull black body. She raised the mini-gun, but before she could squeeze the trigger the thing fired. Twin beams of read streaked from it's eyes toward her neck, and Asuka was saved only by the instantaneous reaction of her AT field in it's attempt to block the beams and save her life. Still she rocked with the impact.  
  
She finished raising the gun, and pulled the trigger, the gun immediately began to cycle, and it seemed that a solid stream of light connected her to the creature for a moment. Then the light began to pulse, and Asuka could sense that the Mini-Gun was pulsing to keep the electronics from overheating, and melting down. Smart, that way she didn't end up blowing this thing up. Who knew what would happen if a pulsed anti-particle weapon exploded. She might take out half a continent.  
  
The beams of light weren't powerful enough to penetrate the things AT field at first, but after a few moments, she could see it beginning to waver. She poured on the fire, and worked the beam across the things body, still encountering the AT field, but wearing it down.  
  
The thing fired again, hitting Asuka's AT field. Then it started a continual stream of shots, always aimed at the same point on Asukas field. The spot just above her armored S2 Unit.  
  
'It's just a waiting game, which one of us cracks the other first,' she thought.  
  
She could sense her AT field weakening, as was the creatures, and suddenly the blasts were connecting, and great gouts of black flesh and gore were splattering the city behind it.  
  
"DIE YOU BASTARD," she screamed at it, as she washed the fire back and forth. Suddenly the beam was deflected a little, and it's perverted S2 Unit splashed into view. Asuka concentrated her fire on it, and watched as the unit cracked, and began to glow.  
  
"Aw, hell," she said, as the unit overloaded and blew. Energy hurtled skyward in the shape of an upside down cross, and thirty square blocks of Berlin were leveled by the blast.  
  
"YEAH!" she screamed in triumph, and then something banged into her right arm, knocking the TPG unit to the ground, severing the power cable. Asuka jumped back and looked. Something big green and nasty was holding what looked like an energy whip, and crawling out of the same exit that she'd used to leave the base.  
  
It was EVA Unit 06.  
  
"Not so easy to kill me Soryu," gasped the other EVA. "I have watched your kind since you first appeared on this Earth, and you're pitiful species will breath it's last long before I lie down to die."  
  
"Rotmal," she guessed, "I should have known. You're one of them aren't you?"  
  
"Yes, I am a servant of my master, the Morning Star. His glory will shine upon me for bringing him your head."  
  
"Only if you can take me, monster, and I don't think you can. I may not have killed you last time, but I'm going to make sure you're dead this time," she said, jumping forward, prog knife ready.  
  
His AT field was ready, and the blade crashed against it. He drew back his whip, and lashed out at her. The tip penetrated her AT field and wrapped around her left arm, scalding her.  
  
Asuka screamed.  
  
"Yes, Soryu, scream, let me pleasure myself in your agony. It will be sweet suffering to hear you breath your last."  
  
She stabbed at the energy whip with her prog knife, but the blade simply bounced off. He walked forward, reeling her in with the whip. When he had a loop of extra length built up, he expertly flipped the whip, and the extra length snapped around her neck, and began to choke her.  
  
"Ah, so easy. Maybe Ikari will put up more of a fight," he said, taunting.  
  
"SHINJI NO!!!" she screamed, and grabbed the whip before the creature could yank on it. It burned her, but she didn't let go. She pulled on it fiercely, dragging the other EVA in closer to her. When it was so close it was almost touching her, she let out a bestial growl and plunged the prog knife into it's S2 Unit.  
  
"Die Rotmal. No one is ever going to lay a finger on my Shinji," she said, as Rotmal's EVA howled in pain, and died.  
  
Unit 6 dropped to the ground, it's S2 crushed and broken.  
  
Asuka relaxed, then, and looked down at it. Rotmal must have been a sleeper agent of some kind. Sent to monitor mankind. He'd organized them, but not killed them. She wondered at that. He'd hidden the EVA's but not destroyed them, or taken them, until now. Either something was preventing him from doing so, or he'd been ordered not to, until now. She didn't care, she had a shiny new EVA again, and she was happy. This unit only had two eyes, but that didn't bother her.  
  
"If this unit is like Shinji's Unit-01 in the way we inhabit them, I wonder if it can do the same things his can? Only one way to find out," Asuka said, bending over to pick up the broken TPG unit, and the Energy whip. She clipped the whip to a bracket on her hip, and examined the Gun. She could probably salvage it, with a lot of help.  
  
"Pilot Soryu that was incredible, but where did the EVA's come from, and why did that other unit attack you?" came Bergs voice over her comm.  
  
"They were hidden here by Rotmal, he was an Angel in human form, serving another master. He's dead now. You're in charge. Commander Berg."  
  
"What are you going to do now Pilot Soryu?"  
  
"Me, I'm going to go home, Commander, I'm going back to Japan," she said.  
  
"I thought Germany was your home," Berg said.  
  
"So did I, once, but I realized that the only home I've ever needed is waiting for me in Japan. Goodbye Commander. I'll try to send help back to you, or I'll return myself, if I can't," she lowered her head, and tried to concentrate, wondering how hard this was going to be. She'd been practicing the manipulation of her AT field ever since she'd figured out she had one 6 months ago. Now to put that practice to the test.  
  
"How are you going to get there?" Berg asked, as the energy began to surge through her body.  
  
"I'm going to fly there," she said, as six great crimson wings exploded out of her back, stretching toward the sky.  
  
"I have a promise to keep."  
  
Next on Episode 2:23 of Neon Genesis Evangelion It's the first of our two part Season Finale. Shinji's birthday arrives in Japan, but not very many people seemed to have noticed. None of his friends seem very excited about it, Shinji least of all, and some of them aren't even around. He's in for the shock of his life when an unexpected gift is brought through the door. But will this gift remain unwrapped, untouched, as he wallows in denial.  
  
It's Evangelion Episode 2:23 Blow out your Candles 


	23. Episode 2:23

Disclaimer: Neon Genesis Evangelion is Owned by Gainax. Buy the DVD's of the Series and the Movies from them. I did, and it was worth every dime. I don't own anything except my DVD's, and this is done for my own satisfaction.  
  
Episode 2:23 Blow out your Candles.  
  
Takes place after 1st season, and the End of Evangelion Movie.  
  
Presumed date is June 6th, 2019  
  
The morning dawned bright and sunny, and Shinji stood up to look out the French doors separating his house from the Suzuhara household. The curtains were drawn back on the balcony doors and Shinji could see that the bed was already made.  
  
He yawned. Toji and Hikari must have already gotten up. He sniffed the air, but didn't smell anything that would indicate she'd come over to cook in his kitchen. Just as well, he wasn't much in the mood for company today.  
  
'Ironic,' he thought, 'that most people would think the day of their eighteenth birthday was a special time to spend partying and celebrating. While I would give anything to be left in peace.'  
  
He hoped they would leave him alone today. He hadn't reported to the base for training at all since Kim had died, and only shown up when he was needed to fight off two Legionnaires.  
  
His friends had been around him constantly, keeping him company, and helping him deal with his depression, and making a general nuisance of themselves. They kept telling him that it was all right, these things sometimes happen, especially when you're drunk and you black out.  
  
If only that were true. Yes, he was drunk , and yes, he hadn't known what he was doing, or at least, been so drunk he no longer cared about the consequences. But the big lie, that none of them knew, was that he could remember what had happened. His memory had returned the evening after it had happened, and it was available in vivid detail for him to examine every nuance. Not that he cared to. He knew the woman had tried to call him on several occasions, but Misato had found out and put a stop to it.  
  
She'd been suspended from NERV operations, and was now doing something else. He'd overheard Hikari and Kensuke talking while they thought he was asleep.  
  
He had a hard time sleeping these days, but didn't want to advertise it. Ritsuko came by every few days and dropped off anti-depressants and sleeping pills for him, and he promised to take them. After she left, he'd take the first set of pills and flush them down the toilet. Another set would follow each day, so when Ritsuko checked again, he'd have the proper number of pills in the bottles she'd given him.  
  
He didn't want the pills. He didn't deserve the pills. The pills let him forget, they let him not care, and he didn't want that. He knew he had to remember, to face it, to care about it, or he'd never be able to get rid of the stain it had made on his soul.  
  
He got up, showered and looked in the mirror. Yes, he needed to shave, so he got out the electric razor and trimmed everything up well. He liked being clean shaven, his father had worn a beard, and he'd always felt that it was an affectation to keep people distracted from the fact that he was an inhuman monster.  
  
Finished with this chore, he went into his room and dressed, putting on a pair of light sweat pants, a tank top, and socks. When he reached the bottom of the stairs he walked into the kitchen, and looked for signs of life.  
  
Nothing.  
  
Except a note, tacked to the teapot.  
  
"Ikari, had an important call, left early.  
  
Be back ???  
  
Happy Birthday  
  
Aida"  
  
'Well, at least someone remembered,' the thought.  
  
"Jeez, it's after 8:00 in the morning, I really slept in."  
  
Before the 'incident' he'd been an early riser, always up and ready to go by six am, six thirty at the latest. Sooner or later he'd pick that habit back up, he knew, it just wasn't that important to him right now.  
  
Making a cup of tea, he walked out onto the back porch and stared at the Jacuzzi. Kensuke had finally gotten the pump fixed, and it was supposed to be up and running. Not that he really cared. He could count the numbers of times he'd used it since Misato's wedding on one hand.  
  
Misato's wedding.  
  
The day she'd left.  
  
The day she'd abandoned him.  
  
He'd spoken to her three times, he knew, he was sure. Once as he lay dying, and twice in the dream realm, but he'd never been able to reach her any other time.  
  
'Are you still out there Asuka? Do you still listen for me?' he thought, trying to project his thoughts into the ether where they'd talked once before. Not hearing a reply, but not really expecting it, he walked across the deck and knocked on the back door of the Suzuhara place.  
  
Mari Suzuhara came over and answered the door.  
  
"Hey, Unca Shinji, come in, want some cereal?" the 11 year old asked. She was actually 12, but she'd been gone a year in the LCL, so they didn't count that against her age.  
  
"Good morning sweetie, is your brother here?"  
  
"Nah, he left early this morning with Unca Kensuke," she said, swinging on the door.  
  
"Shinji, come in please, Mari, quit hanging on that doorknob, you know that just ruins them," Hikari scolded.  
  
"Happy Birthday Shinji," Hikari said, coming over and giving him a kiss on the cheek.  
  
"Hey, I wanted to do that first," Mari pouted.  
  
"You can give me my first hug, kiddo, come here," he said, holding his arms out. The little girl jumped at him, and he had to bend down to catch her. She squeezed him fiercely, and kissed him on the cheek. "Happy Birthday Unca Shinji," she said.  
  
"So, where's Nazomi this morning Hikari," he said, standing up, releasing Mari from his grip.  
  
"She's next door getting the house ready to move into. She says that despite two months work, she's certain that Kensuke won't want to move in with her when she's got it ready. She thinks Kensuke's getting cold feet, now that he's actually said that he loves her and wants to live with her."  
  
Shinji laughed, "Yeah, he probably does have cold feet, but I keep putting them to the fire. I told him that if I walk in on them making out in the living room one more time, I'm going to turn the hose on them like a couple of dogs."  
  
Hikari and Shinji laughed at this, Mari told Shinji that she didn't like the way he treated dogs, and it was no wonder that the only pet he'd ever had was that weird penguin she'd heard about. Shinji grinned at Hikari and nodded his agreement to Mari.  
  
Hikari finished making the crepes she was cooking for breakfast, and offered Shinji a plate. Shinji gratefully accepted and sprinkled a little powdered sugar on his, before adding a little bit of jelly, and stuffing the first bite in his mouth. Treats like this were Hikari's specialty, and for once, he didn't mind eating a breakfast he didn't make himself.  
  
"So, Hikari, Where'd Kensuke and Toji head off to this morning?" he asked.  
  
"No idea, honestly. Toji got a phone call at 3:00 am and ran out of the house, saying he had to take Kensuke to the Base, and not to worry. There wasn't an alert on, so I didn't think too much about it. They'll probably be home soon enough. So tell me, are you enjoying the new bike?"  
  
"Honestly, Hikari, since the motor pool dropped it off, I haven't even started it. I've gone out to look at it a few times, but it's just sitting there right now. I haven't been able to bring myself to take it out for a test drive."  
  
"And after all the trouble Kensuke went to getting the guys at the motor pool customize the paint scheme for you. He was going to wait until today to give it to you, but he just couldn't wait."  
  
"I'm glad he didn't. We searched for another bike like that for years, and he only just found one in a mansion overlooking the sea on Hokkaido. If it weren't for the bill of sale at the dealers office we might never have found it," Shinji explained.  
  
"So did you like the paint job they did for you?" She was referring to the odd way the paint sparkled in the light, purple when looked at in one light, crimson when looked at in another. Simply by tipping your head you could make it flash back and forth between colors.  
  
"Yeah, it's great," 'I just miss my old riding partner,' he didn't say.  
  
"Well anyhow, the guys should be home soon, and I think they have something planned by way of a party for you this afternoon."  
  
"What, no surprise party? Or were you not supposed to tell me, but decided I couldn't take the shock" he said.  
  
"We honestly didn't think you would like another huge party. We thought it would just be us, your small extended family, celebrating with you, would that be all right?"  
  
"Hikari, I'd nominate you for the Nobel prize, if there was still a Nobel committee," he said.  
  
"Well anyhow, I'm going to go over and help Nazomi work on the house until the guys get back. See you for lunch?" She asked, putting her dishes away.  
  
"Sounds good. My treat, come on over, and I'll make something for us. What about you, Mari, what're you doing today?"  
  
She giggled, "Helping Hikari and Nazomi silly," she said, and hugged him again.  
  
"Then I think I'm going to go work in the garden. You have a nice day."  
  
He was still out in his garden five hours later when Toji's 4 Runner pulled up. He waved at Toji as he got out of his car, and Toji waved back, then hurried into his house, quickly coming out, and running over to the home that they were all now referring to as the Aida residence.  
  
'Hmm. No Kensuke, wonder what was up?' thought idly.  
  
There were three delighted squeals coming from the Aida house, and he could distinctly hear the older two women laughing about something. Mari opened the back door, and looked like she was trying to make a run for it, but Toji grabbed her and hauled her back in. Her giggles and squeals of "I promise, I promise," echoed back out into the yard.  
  
Shinji smiled. These things lightened his heart more than he'd ever thought they would. His family, extended though it was, happy and laughing brought real joy to his heart, and made him forget.  
  
Forget what he'd done. What he'd let happen.  
  
He frowned at himself. He'd refreshed everything in his mind again, and he was becoming depressed.  
  
'I mustn't run away I mustn't run away, I mustn't run away,' the old litany danced through his mind as he faced the memories.  
  
Painful though it was, he knew it was the only way to cope. He had to get through this, or he'd be worthless. A noise from his house surprised him, and he walked in to find four of the Cherubim pilots walking back and forth between his house, specifically Kensuke's room, and the Future Aida House.  
  
Shinji cornered one of them and asked what was up.  
  
"Evidently Aida's decided it's time to make the arrangement with the girl permanent sir. He asked us to come over here and move his stuff while he finished up some things at HQ."  
  
"What's he doing there?"  
  
"No idea sir. He's been in meetings since early this morning, as far I know, he said that they were taking a break for lunch when he called, and asked us to take care of this for him."  
  
Shinji was puzzled, 'A meeting without me. That's odd. Still, in my current state, I'm not much use to anyone, so it's no wonder Misato's asking for Kensuke instead of me.' Because of all of his military lore, Kensuke was the Cerubim's defacto military tactician.  
  
"Well I'll be out back if you need me. Oh, and there's beer in the fridge on the deck if you guys want it."  
  
"Thanks sir, we might just take you up on that a little later," the pilot said, hefting his box, and walking out the door.  
  
Shinji went back to his roses, and went through them very carefully. He had a couple that had some kind of leaf rot; he'd have to ask the master gardeners about.  
  
He looked up at the fridge he'd just told the men about, and pondered getting a beer for himself. He wouldn't, but he could still think about it. He hadn't touched any alcohol since that day. He couldn't.  
  
He went back to inspecting the roses, and was so intent on them that he didn't hear the footfalls until the spit polished combat boots came into view.  
  
"Afternoon Kensuke," he said.  
  
"Hey Shinji," Kensuke said.  
  
"So, when were you going to tell me that you were moving out?"  
  
"Well, I hadn't really thought about it too much, but then this morning I realized it would probably be best if Nazomi and I had our own place. I sent Toji ahead to tell the girls."  
  
"I heard them squealing about something earlier, but not exactly what,"  
  
"That's probably it," Kensuke said.  
  
"Well I'm not gonna be that sad to see you go, you know. You're going to be 2 houses down, and probably still eating out of my kitchen every morning," Shinji said.  
  
"Not every morning," Kensuke said.  
  
"You'd better. Nazomi didn't' get the cooking gene that Hikari did. I'm not saying it's going to be as bad as Misato's cooking, but you might want to get some MRE's and emergency rations just in case," Shinji joked.  
  
"I think you're right," Kensuke agreed. "Anyway, the guys are about done, and I'm going to go see if they need any help with the bed. See you later Ikari?"  
  
"Yeah. Hey, any idea if Misato's coming by tonight for this party Hikari said you were organizing?"  
  
"Well, I don't really know Shinji. She's been dealing with some stuff at work since early this morning, and she and Ryouji might be too pooped to stop by. And I think Nazomi and I are going to have dinner at our place tonight, by ourselves. You know how it is, first day living together and all."  
  
"Yeah, I remember Toji and Hikari," Shinji said.  
  
"I tell you what, though, we'll all set up the grills, and do some steak and garlic chicken kabobs later."  
  
"You know Kensuke, a little Bento sounds like the best birthday meal I've had in quite a while," he said.  
  
"Happy birthday, man. I hope you have as good a day as I think you will."  
  
"Kensuke, the day's almost over," Shinji observed the lowering afternoon sun.  
  
"Not by a long shot pal," Kensuke grinned, and left for his old bedroom.  
  
"Weirdo," Shinji commented, and went back to his garden.  
  
By five pm he'd done about all he could in the garden, and was sitting on the edge of the deck picking strawberries off the pants that were in the planters there. He had a large bowl picked already, and was busy popping the ones that wouldn't fit in it into his mouth.  
  
He was looking up at the apple trees he'd planted in the garden last year, admiring the few remaining blossoms, and trying to estimate its' probable yield when a pair of soft hands slid around the side of his face and covered his eyes.  
  
"Guess who," came a soft voice from behind him.  
  
Now who in the world? He knew it wasn't Hikari or Nazomi, this voice was lower and huskier than theirs. It sounded similar to Misato's maybe, but there was a little rasp in it, like some funny burr. The person behind him gave a slight intake of air, and Shinji could hear the rasp continue. If he didn't know better he'd say that this person had been crying, or was very tired, the hands were shaking slightly, as if their owner was about to fall asleep from exhaustion.  
  
"Misato?"  
  
"No. Guess again."  
  
"Maya." He knew it wasn't Maya, even though he guessed her, this voice was totally different.  
  
"Wrong. Again."  
  
He sat there and thought for a minute. The minute turned into two minutes. He should know this voice, he thought, it was agonizingly familiar.  
  
"I give up," he finally said.  
  
The hands were removed, and he watched as they slowly shifted down to his shoulders, gripping him firmly. He turned his head to one side, but whoever it was, shifted away so the couldn't see them.  
  
"Not that easily," she laughed.  
  
Shinji was getting annoyed and determined. He looked left, again the shifting, then to the right, still no sight of this mystery teaser.  
  
"Enough already," he growled, irritated. If this was one of the female Cherubim Pilot's or Trainee's ideas of a joke it was in very poor taste.  
  
The hands were slowly removed, and he stayed facing forward.  
  
"Well?" he said, finally.  
  
"Please turn around," came the soft voice.  
  
Shinji turned around to face the person who was standing behind him.  
  
'My that certainly is a bright red,' his brain registered, looking at the waist of a long red silk dress. It was very bright red, almost like the ripest of apples, or the most brilliant rose in his garden.  
  
"Or the dress Asuka wore the day..." he whispered to himself, remembering that day so long ago when she'd stormed out of his life. He'd given the dress to Misato, along with all of Asuka's other belongings, and they'd been put into storage, in the event she ever returned.  
  
He stayed there looking straight ahead. Refusing to look up, refusing to be hurt by what he saw. It couldn't be her. It was someone else, and he'd look up, and it wouldn't be her and he'd be devastated.  
  
"Shinji?" came the question, softly spoken by the woman in the red dress  
  
He shut his eyes tightly, refusing to look up, refusing to face the pain that he knew must come. He felt the woman kneel down, and place both of her hands on his shoulders, this time so she could look at his face. He began to shake his head in denial, just wishing that the woman would go away and leave him with his memories.  
  
"Why won't you look at me? Why won't you open your eyes?" came the soft voice.  
  
He continued to shake his head. No. I'm imagining it, if it were really her, I'd know it. I'd FEEL it. Or would he? He had been so distracted all day that he'd not been able to clearly focus his mind at all, and his thoughts were in a jumble. He hadn't done any Tai Chi or breathing exercises in days.  
  
He bowed his head and began some deep breathing to cleanse his mind of all the garbage. He hadn't done this since before... the bar.  
  
'Please, oh please, let me be wrong,' he thought privately.  
  
He could hear a deep intake of breath from the woman before him.  
  
"Shinji?" the voice was thick with emotion now.  
  
"Shhh," he said, concentrating his energy about him. He could feel his AT field responding, beginning to manifest itself around him. He'd learned long ago that if he didn't want someone to touch him, all he had to do was bring up the AT field and no one could even get close. However, the interaction of their inherent AT field with his manifested AT field allowed him to tell who it was.  
  
He could tell that the person in front of him had detected the AT field forming, and had taken a step backward. Shinji also stepped back, just a couple steps but that was more than enough.  
  
He continued to solidify and manifest the field until it became a solid barrier between him and the other person. Sooner or later, whoever it was would go away,  
  
Then, something unique in his experience happened. His AT field surged right in front of him, power flaring, as it touched something that felt crimson, pink and white. He didn't know that AT Aura, and he puzzled over it, trying to figure it out. He knew the AT Aura of almost everyone he had contact with, it was just something he found out about them at one time or another.  
  
Then a pair of hands wrapped around his neck, and a pair of soft lips brushed against his own, and a husky voice, full of need and grief and joy, filled his ears. "Shinji," she sobbed, and his eyes snapped open.  
  
Soft white skin, long red hair, reaching almost to her waist, and bright sapphire blue eyes. So blue that he was instantly lost within them.  
  
His throat tightened, and his eyes filled with tears, blinding him, but it didn't matter, he was sure of what he'd seen, and that was enough.  
  
He sagged, and his arms snaked around her pulling her into him as he buried his face in her long red hair, and inhaled the scent of her.  
  
He sobbed into her ear, so softly it could barely be heard, but it was there, even if it was squeaked and choked out of him. A single word. A single name. A name that meant everything to him.  
  
"Asuka!"  
  
"Shinji!" she answered in the same voice, and Shinji felt the AT field he'd raised explode upward, carrying his heart and joy with it.  
  
"Asuka," he breathed, "is it really you?" he managed to choke out.  
  
"I love you too Shinji, I always have," the voice came back, and the dam burst, and Shinji was sobbing uncontrollably, and she was too.  
  
He tried to gather himself, and push away from her, to get another look at her, but he couldn't let go, and she was holding on to him as hard as he was her. Finally he felt her hands release their death grip as she pulled back, and cupped his face with them. Their lips met in what was only their third kiss.  
  
Shinji knew the moment her lips touched his that this would be the kiss he would remember until the end of his days. Their tears of sorrow, and joy mingled, and fell down their cheeks as they tenderly kissed, exploring one another, at first soft, then hard and demanding, but then soft and caressing again. The interplay of lips and tongues, and the soft feel of her breath on his face, the tickle of his breath on her cheek, which four years ago had earned him a pinched nose, was now a pleasurable part of the experience.  
  
It kept building and pulling at them until it consumed them both, and they were lost in one another's embrace, the world around them vanishing as they held each other. Shinji felt his chest tingling with emotion, and his whole body was trembling in joy. As was hers.  
  
Finally the passion slowed to a manageable level, and the long deep passionate kiss turned into dozens of soft little pecks. Shinji felt her soft hands drop from behind his head, where they had drifted, to his shoulders, as she reluctantly pulled away from him. He could still feel her breath on him, but knew she was standing right before him.  
  
He took a deep breath and looked down at her. Her face was puffy, and her eyes red and still leaking tears, but he'd have recognized her no matter what.  
  
"Asu-chan," he whispered.  
  
"Shin-chan," she answered, "Happy birthday."  
  
Next on Episode 2:24 of Neon Genesis Evangelion It's the second half of our two part Season Finale. Shinji and Asuka spend the evening getting reacquainted, but Shinji has a confession to make, one that is troubling him greatly. Will Asuka be understanding of the situation, or turn away from him in anger and disgust. Only time will tell.  
  
It's Evangelion Episode 2:24 The Reunion. 


	24. Episode 2:24

Disclaimer: Neon Genesis Evangelion is Owned by Gainax. Buy the DVD's of the Series and the Movies from them. I did, and it was worth every dime. I don't own anything except my DVD's, and this is done for my own satisfaction.  
  
Episode 2:24 The Reunion  
  
Takes place after 1st season, and the End of Evangelion Movie.  
  
Presumed date is June 6th, 2019  
  
Misato, Ryouji, Toji, Hikari, Kensuke, Nazomi and Mari stood at the back door to the Aida house, looking out the back windows at Shinji sitting on the steps of the deck, eating strawberries. The red headed woman had just glided out from his house, wearing the same elegant dress she'd worn the last time they'd seen her.  
  
"She's a little taller, but she has the same figure," Hikari said, watching as Asuka kneeled quietly behind Shinji and put her hands over his eyes.  
  
"She's changed in other ways though," Aida said.  
  
"How so?"  
  
"When she saw Toji and I she ran up and hugged us. She was actually happy to see us," he said.  
  
"You guys know that Asuka never really hated you right?" Hikari asked, drawing sarcastic smirks from her husband and her sister's boyfriend.  
  
They both looked back outside. Shinji was standing up now, Asuka behind him, hands on his shoulders.  
  
"I wish we could hear what they're saying," Misato said.  
  
"Shhh... just watch," her husband said, goosing her.  
  
Shinji was turning around. He stood there, unmoving, and slowly began to shake his head.  
  
"What's he doing, why doesn't he kiss her?" Nazomi asked.  
  
"Shhh. He hasn't opened his eyes to look at her yet. He's in total denial."  
  
They watched for several more moments, and then saw Shinji's withdrawn and defensive body posture.  
  
"Uh, oh," Toji and Kensuke both said.  
  
"What is it?" little Mari asked.  
  
"Shhh... keep watching."  
  
Shinji's AT field had materialized around him, and Asuka was stepping back away from him, shaking her head. She looked like she was about to turn and run.  
  
"Don't do it Asuka. I told you this might happen. Don't give up," Misato said, trying to encourage Asuka from here.  
  
Asuka's brow furrowed in concentration, and an AT field to match Shinji's sputtered and faltered into place around her. She stepped forward, and the fields touched. She reached forward, and the fields parted at her touch. Then she was through, and holding Shinji, and they watched as she leaned up on tiptoes and kissed him.  
  
His eyes snapped open, and he was looking at her.  
  
"Finally," they all gasped, releasing the breath they'd been holding.  
  
Shinji sagged, and pulled her to him, and they sat there holding each other for long moments while they cried. They couldn't hear it, when he said her name, or when she answered, but they saw the effect. Shinji's AT field was still raised, although it was faltering and flashing with instability. The explosion shook the houses, the whole neighborhood, and frightened the birds in the forest into flight. A burst of purple light had flashed skyward, and a 1000-foot tall cross of energy appeared before fading.  
  
"Whoa," they all said, and rocked for a moment on their feet.  
  
The were talking again, looking into each others eyes, and then Asuka grabbed him and pulled him into a kiss.  
  
"Mari cover your eyes," Toji said, not taking his eyes off the scene.  
  
"Awww," she whined. "But I see you and Hikari and Kensuke and Nazomi kiss like that all the time." She was still watching. "Whoa. Maybe not, that's some kiss. Hubba hubba," the little girl said, and all the adults looked down at her, annoyed, and pushed her to the back of the group.  
  
"Hey!" she shouted, and stomped her foot.  
  
Finally Shinji and Asuka broke their kiss, and sat there looking into each others eyes. Shinji carried her up onto the deck, refusing to release her for any reason, and sat her down at the table, finally taking a seat next to her, but still keeping her hands covered with his.  
  
"Okay folks, I think the excitements over for now. They're going to need to talk for a while, and we need to get this place ready for the new couple," Misato said turning to look at Kensuke and Nazomi.  
  
"What about the two of them?" Kensuke asked, jerking a thumb at the pair outside.  
  
"I'm sure they'll let us know if they need anything."  
  
"Asuka, when, how, did you get back?"  
  
"Early this morning. I flew in direct from Germany, sub orbital. Took about 90 minutes of flight time from Berlin to Nagoya."  
  
"How?"  
  
"An EVA. I found the two units that NERV Berlin had completed before Third Impact. I took one, and destroyed the other in Combat as a Legionnaire. I also destroyed another Legionnaire before I fought the EVA."  
  
"So the Legionnaires are attacking other parts of the world," he said, grimly.  
  
"No, that was the first time they attacked anywhere else. I'm pretty sure its' because I was there," she answered.  
  
"How can you be sure they aren't attacking somewhere else even as we speak?"  
  
"I can't be, but as of yesterday they hadn't. The NERV branch in Berlin is totally intact with their Magi computers. They have access to the entire Global surveillance system. The Shepherd is really restricting what we can see. We'll need to upgrade it or replace it before we can get in contact with the other facilities.  
  
She shook out her hair, and Shinji noticed appreciatively that she'd let it grow out, and it now fell down to her slender waist.  
  
"Enough business, I've spent the last twelve hours in meetings and briefings at the base, and I didn't come all the way here because I wanted to talk shop."  
  
"I'm sorry," Shinji said, bowing his head.  
  
"Now that's awfully familiar," she grinned. "But Toji said you'd changed."  
  
"Well, I have, I mean, you can see some of the changes," he said, standing up and turning around. Sometime in the intervening years he'd had another growth spurt and had hit 5'8". His body, still lean and trim, showed muscle and definition that hadn't been there before.  
  
"Hey. You're not the only one," she said, standing and twirling around. She was taller now, but not by much, maybe 5'4", her hair was longer, but other than that, physically she remained as she had been. Her bright and easy smile, and soft loving manner, however, were an even bigger change than the physical changes.  
  
They both sat back down, and held hands again.  
  
"Okay, so we've both grown up. Given. It's been three years, but what happened to you?" Shinji said.  
  
"Well after I thought I'd killed you with the plane, I decided to head back to Germany. I wasn't exactly rational at the time."  
  
"I kind of noticed."  
  
"So I set down in Novosibirsk, Russia when I ran out of fuel," she took a deep cleansing breath, and clutched his hands. "Before I could get very far, I got caught by some really nasty guys, and they beat me up pretty bad." She cried softly, "I thought that they'd... that they'd... you know. I didn't know for sure. I passed out. When I woke up I was outside town, alone, and pretty beaten up. I was also bruised and sore everywhere. Anyway I found a horse, and started riding to the west. I couldn't find any cars that were worth taking. I entered Omsk about two weeks later, and spent the next couple years there."  
  
"I had new friends in Omsk, Shinji, and I was able to finally learn to be myself, and to let the old Asuka go, at least the nasty parts of her. There was a retired therapist there, and he helped me deal with a lot of my problems. He also hypnotized me, and took me back to my assault. Lots of it was still blurry, but I was able to lay to rest the fact that I had not been sexually assaulted. They'd kicked and beaten me, but I'd managed to escape. Using my AT field, I now realize."  
  
He drew her too him, holding her while she sniffed and clutched him, not saying a word, just being there for her. She let him go, and pulled back.  
  
"Then, two nights in a row, I had dreams about you. I knew they weren't normal dreams, and when you asked me to go to Germany, I had to leave, so I did. It took six long months of riding to make Berlin, but I finally made it in January."  
  
"Sorry, I was so vague, but I just got this vision one night, and I knew I had to tell you. It took me weeks to contact you. And then, every time I tried to again, I couldn't," he explained.  
  
"Anyhow, I made it to Berlin, and spent the next five months trying to find out what was going on. Turns out, the base commander was a Legionnaire. He'd sealed up the EVA's, and made sure anyone who might know about them was conveniently gotten rid of. But I couldn't find the EVA's. Then I had another dream, and was led to the EVA's. When I woke up, I headed right to them. I joined with Unit 05, which is almost the spitting image of my Unit 02, and picked up some weapons to fight against the Legionnaire that had appeared."  
  
"Berlin had been hands off until that time, but apparently it wasn't any more. I killed it, but then the base commander came crawling out of the base in Unit 06. We fought, he died, and I was free to come back here. Back to you."  
  
"But how?"  
  
"The EVA. I have wings too," she said.  
  
"You do? I thought that was something unique to me?"  
  
"Unique to us, you mean. Anyway, I'd seen you do you're wing thing on the surveillance footage that Berlin has, so I tried to do it too. Once they were there, I decided to see how fast they could go. I flew up high into the atmosphere, staying just sub-orbital, and dropped down here. I landed outside the Base at just before 2:00 am local time. I called the base, to let them know I was a friendly, and got Maya Ibuki. She called Misato, Misato called Kensuke and Toji, and we spent the next six hours in meetings while I was debriefed on the current situation."  
  
"What is the situation?"  
  
"Aida and Suzuhara are going to choose eight Cherubim to return to Germany and guard the base there. Doctor Akagi might also be going, but I don't know yet. Germany is where most of the advanced research for the EVA's was done, and they've got some serious weapons in their storage vaults. And from what I've seen of your battles, you could use something a little more devastating than a single Magical Lance."  
  
"That Lance has saved my ass, on numerous occasions," Shinji pointed out.  
  
"And its' good for you, but the Cherubim need something with more punch than just big steel swords. Maybe we can prevent what happened back in April," she said.  
  
Shinji froze. Kim's death was thrust upon him, suddenly, but that wasn't all that had happened in April. Kikyo, had happened in April.  
  
"Asuka. There's something I need to tell you. About that Cherub pilot, her death, and a stupid mistake I made," he said.  
  
"Shush, love. I already know. Misato told me. She was your friend, and her loss hurt you badly. I'm sorry I wasn't here for you then," she soothed.  
  
"That's not all of it, Asuka. The next day we buried her, and then had a wake. I got really drunk, and I... I... I..." he was getting choked up, trying to get this out. He had to tell her, or he'd carry it around forever.  
  
He sniffed, and looked up at her, eyes shining. "I did something really stupid, Asuka. Stupid and selfish. I... I didn't wait for you Asuka," he said softly.  
  
"I know, Misato told me," she answered, leaning forward to hold him, as he began to sob. He pulled away from her, holding her back, away from him, and looked at her.  
  
"Misato told you. What did she tell you?"  
  
"About Kikyo. How she took advantage of you at a very vulnerable time. About how you were so drunk you don't remember anything."  
  
Shinji shook his head, "But that's just it Asuka. That's what makes it so bad. I couldn't remember what happened for the first couple days, but now I remember everything about it. I just didn't want them to know that, so I've never said anything. It would have made it all the harder to face them."  
  
She nodded, slightly shocked that Shinji would lie to his closest friends.  
  
"Shinji, I talked a long time about this to Misato, and I think if you're going to get through this, if WE are going to get through this, you're going to have to tell me everything. Start wherever you want to."  
  
Shinji looked down at the ground, and clutched her hands, feeling ashamed.  
  
"Back in October of last year a young woman Kim Keller was chosen as one of the new Cherubim Pilots. We became friends quickly, not romantically mind you, just friends. Then, one night, she asked me to dance," he started, and continued on for some time, telling Asuka about the evenings they had spent going to the O-Club, sparring in the gym, or dancing with their friends. Everyone else had thought they were a couple, but they both knew it wasn't true. Still, no one disabused the general public of that knowledge, and it gave Shinji peace and comfort to be left alone by the single female population of the base.  
  
"And then she was laying there dead, and I'd failed her. The next day I was numb. I started drinking pretty heavily early that morning, and kept it up, all the way until late into the night. I was about the last one in the bar, when Kikyo sat down next to me and started talking. I ignored her at first, lost in my own bottle. I was sitting there thinking about Kim's death, and was having a hard time convincing myself that you were still alive somewhere."  
  
"I remember telling myself that you were probably dead, and I'd never see you again, and it became this little mantra running through my head as I drank. The next hour is kind of a blur. I remember drinking a lot more, and then getting a ride. I thought at first someone was bringing me here, but then we pulled up to Kikyo's house, and she got me out of the car, and we staggered into the house." He sniffled, still staring at the ground, and not looking up, as he described his numb acceptance of her touch, and her eventual deflowering of him. He wasn't exactly an active participant, but he didn't stop her, and he knew he could have. He just didn't care.  
  
"And then I woke up next to her, and realized what I'd done, and I hated myself. I knew that if you were still alive out there somewhere I'd just broken my promise to wait for you. I'd just betrayed you in the worst way possible," he sobbed.  
  
"Shinji, look at me," she said.  
  
He didn't raise his eyes.  
  
"Look at me," she said, louder.  
  
He looked at her, and saw that there were tears in her eyes.  
  
"Shinji do you love Kikyo?" she asked.  
  
"NO! God's Asuka, how could you ask me that?" he cried.  
  
"Because I need to know if I've really lost you, or you just had a weak moment and sought out what little comfort was available to you," she answered.  
  
"No, I don't love her. But I made a terrible mistake, and I betrayed you," he said.  
  
"And I forgive you. It's not your fault Shinji, you were suffering from a devastating loss, and this woman took advantage of that, and the other things you were feeling to satisfy herself."  
  
"But I didn't wait for you. And you did. You're still..." he stopped.  
  
"That's right, I am, but I didn't realize that until about a year ago. I thought that all that had been taken away from me. Look at me. I'm sorry you had to go through all this alone. I'm sorry I wasn't there for you when you needed me most. I needed to find myself Shinji, and love myself, so that we could love each other. I did, and nothing's ever going to keep us apart again. Especially not you're grief," she said, clasping his face in her hands.  
  
She kissed him, softly at first, and then deepening, as they comforted each other, and shared the grief they both felt. She got up and slid over to him, sitting down in his lap, and wrapping her arms around his neck, continuing to kiss him the whole time. Soon Shinji began to relax and enjoy the kisses, returning them in kind.  
  
"Are they still talking?" Ryouji asked.  
  
"Not anymore, she just sat down on his lap, and they're kissing again. As upset as Shinji looked a minute ago, I'd wager he told her about Kim and Kikyo," Misato said, still looking out the back window.  
  
"That couldn't have been fun," Ryouji said.  
  
"No, but I prepared her for it. Ritsuko and I told her what he'd been through. Everything. We didn't hold back any punches. She was pretty upset at first, but when we explained the events in detail she actually got pretty angry."  
  
"Poor Ikari," Ryouji muttered, shaking his head.  
  
"No dear. Poor Kikyo. Asuka has already forgiven Shinji, but she wants to make sure that that young woman crosses her path sometime soon. And I'm tempted to oblige her," Misato said, her voice growing vindictive with every syllable.  
  
"You wouldn't," Ryouji said.  
  
"Oh you bet I would buster. Nobody messes with the emotions of my children and gets off scot free. That little bitch knew what she was doing, and didn't care."  
  
"Still, Shinji's the only one of us who never doubted that Asuka was going to return. Everyone else, including you Misato, figured she wouldn't come back, and the rumor around the base was that she was dead. This girl may have just thought that Shinji deserved better than to waste his life waiting for a lost love. Hind sight is 20/20."  
  
"Not if Asuka gouges out her eyes. And I'll loan her the spoon," Misato whispered.  
  
Ryouji coughed at his wife's callous disregard for the well-being of one of her own command staff members. Even if the girl had since been dismissed.  
  
"Hey Misato, Ryouji, Hikari's going to make some Sukiyaki, and Kensuke's gonna fire up the Hibachi for some beef sticks. Are Shinji and Asuka done talking yet?" Toji asked.  
  
Misato looked out the window; Shinji and Asuka were still wrapped around each other, on the large deck chair, and were passionately kissing.  
  
"Um, yeah, they're done talking Toji, but I think you're risking you're life if you go out there and interrupt Asuka right now," Misato observed. Hikari and Nazomi ran over to look out the window, and then melted at what they saw.  
  
"Why, what's going on?" Toji asked, and his wife turned on him with a scowl. Asuka'd been back in Japan less than 24 hours, and already she'd turned his wife against him. Amazing how things slipped back into the old patterns. By the end of the week he fully expected that Asuka would be storming around, calling Ikari "Baka Shinji," as she used to.  
  
The three women were gazing out the window fondly, and then moved slowly away from it, the two younger going to he kitchen to prepare dinner, while Misato walked over to Ryouji and kissed him.  
  
"Well?" Toji asked, growing frustrated that no one would answer his earlier question.  
  
"Well what?" Misato asked.  
  
"Well, what's going on?" he almost shouted, exasperated.  
  
"Asuka's staking her claim," Misato answered, reaching up to scratch Ryouji's chin.  
  
Toji and Kensuke looked at each other, a wide grin breaking out on their faces.  
  
"All Right! Now that's what I call a Birthday Present," they both said.  
  
Two onions flew out of the kitchen, one striking each of them, and they ducked and ran back into the living room.  
  
"We'll remember that come you're birthdays you Baka Hentai," said Hikari and Nazomi.  
  
On the back of his deck, Shinji Ikari looked up at the red haired angel that was sitting on his lap, when they finally broke the kiss, and locked eyes with her.  
  
"I love you, Asuka Langley Soryu," he breathed.  
  
"I love you, Shinji Ikari," she answered. "But I think we need to go inside."  
  
"I'm comfortable just like this," he said.  
  
"If you think I'm giving you the rest of your present out here on the deck, you are sadly mistaken, Shin-chan."  
  
"Why Asu-chan, are you saying you've got something for me?" he said, slyly.  
  
"And it's waited four years for you to open it, so you better treat it nice," she said, smiling. She stood up, and took his right hand in her left, and led him inside the house. There weren't any lights on as they entered, and they were soon lost inside the darkened structure.  
  
Omake (extra)  
  
Thirty minutes later Kensuke and Toji were out behind the Aida house, working over the Hibachi with their fans, making sure the coals burned at the right temperature to make sure the kebobs they had cooking were done just right. The door to the kitchen was open, and the five other members of their group were passing in and out, a very festive mood bubbling between them.  
  
"Toji, man, I'm telling you, I'm gonna need a deck quick. I didn't have time today to order the boards, but I'll do that first thing in the morning, but I'm gonna need yours and Ikari's help to put the thing in. Ryouji, you too, if you're willing to help."  
  
"Sure thing Kensuke. Can't have you being the only one in the neighborhood without a deck to entertain on. Want to continue the tradition, and just build a big old extension off of mine to cover over here too?" Toji answered. Ryouji was also nodding an affirmative that he'd help too.  
  
"Well, I think just a deck off the back of the house here, will be a good place to start. Bridging the two together can be a project for some other time. Trying to do it all at once sounds like a big job,"  
  
"So, think we should make extra just in case Ikari and Soryu decide to join the party after all?" Kensuke asked, tossing Ryouji another beer.  
  
Just then a loud moan could be heard echoing between the houses, and off the trees behind the houses. The single moan became a series of moans, and then cries, and finally screams. The three men looked at each other, all sporting wide grins.  
  
"I don't think they're going to be making it over tonight," Ryouji observed.  
  
Just then Mari ran out of the house, and cocked an ear to listen to the strange sounds. The three men shooed her back inside the house, where she went with a pout and a stomp of the foot.  
  
"But why can't I stay outside," she demanded.  
  
"Not now Mari," Toji said.  
  
"I mean it's not like Hikari sounds much different. Of course, she's not as loud, but," Toji slapped his hand over his little sisters mouth, and turned to look at the others.  
  
"Hehe, Kids say the darndest things. Come here Mari, we need to have a little talk about how long you're going to live."  
  
Mari screeched and ran off, locking herself in the cubby hole under the stairs and refusing to come out until reassured by Auntie Misato that she'd be safe.  
  
This concludes the Second Season of Neon Genesis Evangelion. Be here for the premiere of Season three, "Last Best Hope."  
  
Next: on Episode 3:01 of Neon Genesis Evangelion:  
  
Shinji and Asuka spend the next few days together, while life goes on around them. Plans are set into motion that will bring the NERV base up to full speed, and hopefully enable them to contact to the German Branch. But a new threat arrives in an attempt to put a stop to their plans, and Shinji and Asuka must end their idyllic reunion.  
  
It's Evangelion Episode 3:01 Upgrade  
  
A/N: I have had some people ask me if I'm going to write a Shinji Asuka Lemon, and I have to admit, I already have. This chapter has had the Lemon bit removed to make it palatable to FanFiction.net and other Non NC-17 Archives. I am currently formatting the deleted pages so that they can be a Lemon Side story available on some of the other archives. Most likely to be found at EVAMADE.com when I finish it. 


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